"Rover  DOJS 

-*»^*w  j^HSMMB 

On  a  Tour 


ARTHUR  M,WMFIEL 


THE    ARRIVAL    AT    THE    BARLOW 

Frontispiece— {Page  304.) 

The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Tour. 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
ON  A  TOUR 

OR 
LAST  DAYS  AT  BRILL  COLLEGE 


BY 

ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL,  THE 

ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN,  THE  PUTNAM 

HALL  SERIES,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 

Made  in  the  United  Statu  of  America 


BOOKS  BY  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIEID 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

THE  ROVEH  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND  SEA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


THE  SECOND  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLBY  HALL 


THE  PUTNAM  HALL  SERIES 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 


I2mo.    Cloth.    Illustrated. 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  New  York 


COPYRIGHT,  1916,  BY 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYER, 
The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Tour 


StacK 


INTRODUCTION 

MY  DEAR  BOYS:  This  book  is  a  complete 
story  in  itself,  but  forms  the  twentieth  volume 
in  a  line  issued  under  the  general  title,  "The 
Rover  Boys  Series  for  Young  Americans." 

As  I  have  mentioned  in  other  volumes,  this 
line  was  started  a  number  of  years  ago  with 
the  publication  of  "The  Rover  Boys  at  School," 
"On  the  Ocean"  and  "In  the  Jungle."  These 
stories  were  so  well  received  that  there  was  an 
immediate  cry  for  more,  and  so,  year  by  year, 
they  were  followed  by  the  publication  of  "The 
Rover  Boys  Out  West,"  "On  the  Great  Lakes,'* 
"In  the  Mountains,"  "In  Camp,"  "On  Land  and 
Sea,"  "On  the  River,"  "On  the  Plains,"  "In 
Southern  Waters,"  "On  the  Farm,"  "On  Treas 
ure  Isle,"  "At  College,"  "Down  East,"  "In  ttie 
Air,"  "In  New  York,"  "In  Alaska,"  and  finally, 
"In  Business,"  where  we  last  left  our  heroes. 

The  Rover  boys  have,  of  course,  gradually 
been  growing  older.  Dick  and  Tom  are  both 
married  and  doing  what  they  can  to  carry  on 

iii 


2076533 


iv  INTRODUCTION 

their  father's  business  in  New  York  City.  Sam, 
the  youngest  of  the  boys,  is  still  at  Brill  College. 
The  particulars  are  given  of  some  winter  sports 
around  that  institution  of  learning,  and  then  of 
a  great  baseball  game  in  which  the  youngest 
Rover  distinguishes  himself.  Then  Sam  gradu 
ates  from  college,  and  all  the  boys,  with  some 
others,  go  on  a  long  automobile  tour,  during 
which  a  number  of  exciting  adventures  occur. 
The  party  is  caught  in  a  storm  on  the  moun 
tains,  and  later  on  are  caught  in  a  great  flood. 
What  the  Rover  boys  did  under  such  trying 
circumstances  I  leave  for  the  pages  which  fol 
low  to  disclose. 

Once  more  I  wish  to  thank  all  my  young 
friends  for  the  many  gratifying  things  they  have 
said  about  my  books.  I  trust  that  the  present 
volume  will  fulfil  all  their  expectations,  and  that 
the  reading  of  the  same  will  do  them  good. 

Affectionately  and  sincerely  yours, 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  THE  SNOWBALL  FIGHT i 

II  SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS 14 

III  WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  SONGBIRD 25 

IV  THE  CHASE 35 

V  AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION 46 

VI  AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOME 57 

VII  SAM  AND  GRACE 67 

VIII  SOMETHING  ABOUT  BLACKIE  CROWDEN 78 

IX  IN  WHICH  TOM  ARRIVES 90 

X  THE  FEAST 100 

XI  TOM  FREES  His  MIND in 

XII  OLD  GRISLEY  COMES  TO  TERMS 121 

XIII  SAM  ON  THE  ROAD 133 

XIV  DAYS  OF  WAITING 143 

XV  BASEBALL  TALK  154 

XVI  THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME 166 

XVII  How  THE  GAME  ENDED 176 

XVIII  GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL 187 

XIX  GETTING  READY  FOR  THE  TOUR 201 

v 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX  A  MOMENT  OF  PERIL 211 

XXI  NEWS  OF  BLACKIE  CROWDEN 221 

XXII  ON  THE  TRAIL 232 

XXIII  BACK  AT  ASHTON 242 

XXIV  AT  THE  FESTIVAL 252 

XXV  A  CALL  FOR  ASSISTANCE 262 

XXVI  SAM  FREES  His  MIND 272 

XXVII  A  TELEGRAM  FROM  NEW  YORK 282 

XXVIII  CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD 292 

XXIX  THE  RESCUE  ON  THE  RIVER 304 

XXX  MRS.  SAM  ROVER — COKCLUSION 314 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
ON  A  TOUR 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   SNOWBALL   FIGHT 

"Now  then,  boys,  are  you  ready?" 

"I  am!" 

"Been  ready  for  the  last  five  minutes !" 

"Sure  you've  got  all  the  snowballs  you  can 
carry?" 

"I  couldn't  carry  any  more  if  I  tried,"  came 
from  Sam  Rover,  with  a  grin.  "Just  see  how  I 
am  loaded  up,"  and  he  glanced  down  at  both 
hands,  which  were  filled  with  snowballs,  and 
at  the  snowballs  held  under  either  arm. 

"I've  got  some  dandy  hard  ones,"  put  in  Spud 
Jackson. 

"Oh,  you  can't  use  soakers,  Spud !"  cried  Stan 
ley  Browne,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  snow 
balling  contingent.  "That's  against  the  rules." 

"They  are  not  soakers,  Stanley/'  was  the  re- 
i 


2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

ply.    "They  are  only  good  and  hard,  that's  all." 

"Hi,  you  fellows!  When  are  you  going  to 
start  things?"  came  a  cry  from  behind  a  snow 
wall  up  the  slope  of  a  hill.  "We  can't  waste  the 
whole  afternoon  waiting  for  you." 

"We're  coming,  don't  fear,"  answered  Stanley 
Browne. 

"And  when  we  arrive  you  won't  know  what's 
struck  you,"  announced  Sam  Rover  gaily. 

"It's  all  veil  enough  to  brag,  but  you'd  chust 
better  start  dot  fight,"  came  in  German- Ameri 
can  accents  from  behind  the  snow  wall,  and  a 
merry  face  appeared  in  sight  for  an  instant  and 
a  fist  was  shaken  playfully  at  those  beyond. 

"Sound  that  bugle,  Paul !"  yelled  the  leader  of 
the  attacking  party,  and  an  instant  later  the  mel 
low  notes  of  a  bugle  floated  out  on  the  crisp, 
wintry  air. 

It  was  the  signal  for  the  attack,  and  with  merry 
shouts  the  students  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  charged 
upward  through  the  snow  toward  the  wall  above. 

The  occasion  was  the  annual  snowball  fight 
at  Brill  College.  Snow  fights  there  were,  of 
course,  without  number,  but  each  year  there  was 
one  big  contest  in  which  the  freshmen  and 
sophomores  attempted  to  hold  a  snow  fort  lo 
cated  on  the  hill  back  of  the  institution  against 
the  attacks  of  the  juniors  and  seniors.  Accord- 


THE  SNOWBALL  FIGHT  3 

ing  to  the  rules,  three  charges  were  allowable, 
all  of  which  must  be  made  inside  of  two  hours, 
and  if  all  of  these  failed  to  take  the  fort,  then 
the  victory  went  to  the  defenders,  and  they 
were  permitted  to  crow  over  their  success  un 
til  the  following  winter. 

A  little  over  an  hour  and  a  half  had  been  spent 
in  the  sport  and  two  attacks  had  been  made  and 
repulsed,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  Stanley  Browne, 
the  senior  in  charge  of  the  attacking  army.  Ju 
niors  and  seniors  had  fought  nobly,  but  the  fresh 
men  and  sophomores  outnumbered  them,  and, 
being  strongly  intrenched  behind  the  snow  wall 
of  the  so-called  fort,  had  succeeded  in  forcing 
a  first,  and  then  a  second,  retreat. 

"Say,  fellows,  we've  got  to  do  it  this  time, 
sure!"  cried  Sam  Rover,  as,  side  by  side  with 
Stanley,  he  led  the  attack.  "If  we  don't  oust 
them  they'll  never  get  done  talking  about  it." 

"Right  you  are,  Sam!"  answered  Bob  Grimes, 
who  also  had  hands  and  arms  full  of  well-made 
snowballs. 

"Remember  what  I  told  you,"  came  from  Stan 
ley,  as  he  turned  slightly  to  address  his  follow 
ers.  "Don't  throw  any  snowballs  yet.  Do  as 
the  soldiers  did  in  Revolutionary  days — wait  un 
til  you  can  see  the  whites  of  their  eyes." 

"And  then  make  those  whites  blacks!"  burst 


4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

out  Spud  Jackson,  gaily.  "Come  ahead,  and  no 
turning  back." 

Up  the  snowy  hillside  sped  the  crowd  of  stu 
dents,  while  a  number  of  professors  and  visi 
tors  watched  the  advance  from  a  distance. 

"Get  ready  for  'em !  Don't  let  them  come  too 
near!"  came  in  a  rallying  cry  from  behind  the 
snow  wall.  And  then,  as  the  attacking  party 
came  closer,  a  volley  of  white  spheres  came  fly 
ing  through  the  air  into  the  faces  of  the  juniors 
and  seniors. 

It  was  a  sharp  and  heavy  volley,  and  for  the 
instant  the  air  seemed  to  be  filled  with  flying 
snowballs.  Many  of  them,  of  course,  went  wild, 
but  others  landed  on  the  heads  and  bodies  of  the 
attacking  party,  and  for  the  moment  the  advance 
was  checked. 

"Wow!"  came  from  one  of  the  juniors  who 
had  been  hit  in  the  ear.  "Why  can't  we  do  some 
throwing  ourselves?" 

"That's  the  talk !  Give  it  to  'em !"  came  from 
another  student  who  had  had  his  cap  knocked 
off  by  a  snowball. 

"No,  no,"  answered  Stanley.  "Save  your 
snowballs  until  we  get  closer." 

"Come  on,  we'll  soon  be  up  there,"  put  in  Sam 
Rover.  "Only  a  hundred  feet  more,  fellows!" 

There  was  a  yell  of  assent,  and  forward  the 


charging  party  went  again  in  the  face  of  an 
other  volley  of  snowballs.  By  bending  low  the 
juniors  and  seniors  protected  themselves  as 
much  as  possible  from  the  onslaught,  but  many 
were  hit,  two  so  stingingly  that  they  had  to  retire 
to  the  rear. 

"Hurrah!  We've  got  'em  on  the  run!"  came 
from  the  leader  of  the  fort  contingent,  who 
had  mounted  a  tree  stump  located  behind  the  wall. 
"Give  it  to  'em,  fellows!  Give  it  too  'em  hot!" 

"Now,  then,  boys,  all  together!"  yelled  Stan 
ley  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  then  the  eager 
juniors  and  seniors  launched  their  snowballs 
with  all  the  swiftness  and  accuracy  of  aim  at 
their  command. 

The  two  previous  attacks  which  had  been  re 
pulsed  had  taught  the  advancing  students  a  les 
son,  and  now  in  this  third  attack  scarcely  a  snow 
ball  was  wasted.  Those  in  the  front  ran  direct 
ly  up  to  the  wall  of  the  fort,  while  those  farther 
back  spread  out,  as  directed  by  their  leader,  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left,  sending  in  cross  fires 
at  points  where  the  fort  was  supposed  to  be 
weakest. 

It  was  a  thrilling  and  spirited  fight,  but,  al 
though  the  students  were  greatly  excited,  there 
was  little  more  actual  roughness  than  there  would 
have  been  at  a  football  or  other  athletic  contest 


6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Over  the  wall,  boys !  Over  the  wall !"  burst 
out  Sam  Rover,  and  the  next  instant  he  was  up 
on  the  wall  of  the  fort,  quickly  followed  by  Stan 
ley,  Bob,  Spud,  and  several  others. 

"Back  there,  you  rebels !  Back !"  came  in  a  yell 
from  the  interior  of  the  fort,  and  then  a  wild 
fusillade  of  snowballs  struck  Sam  and  his  chums 
in  various  parts  of  their  bodies. 

"Jumping  hambones!"  spluttered  Spud,  as  a 
snowball  took  him  directly  in  the  chin.  "What 
do  you  think  I'm  built  of,  iron?" 

"Get  back  or  you'll  get  worse!"  was  the  cry 
from  the  fort,  and  then  another  snowball  took 
Spud  in  the  ear. 

In  the  meantime,  Sam  Rover  had  dodged  a 
ball  which  was  coming  directly  for  his  face,  and 
now  he  returned  the  fire  with  a  hard  one  that 
took  the  sophomore  below  him  in  the  ear.  Then 
Sam  jumped  down  into  the  fort,  quickly  followed 
by  eight  or  ten  others. 

"Clear  them  out!  Don't  let  them  stay  here!" 
was  the  wild  cry. 

"Everybody  around  the  flagpole!"  was  the 
command  of  the  fort  leader. 

The  flagpole  was  a  small  one  located  in  the 
center  of  the  enclosure,  and  from  it  fluttered  the 
banners  of  the  freshmen  and  the  sophomore 
classes.  Those  making  the  attack  would  have 


THE  SNOWBALL  FIGHT  7 

to  haul  those  banners  down  before  they  could 
claim  a  victory. 

Snowballs  were  now  flying  in  all  directions, 
and  it  was  quite  probable  that  in  the  excitement 
many  of  the  students  let  fly  at  their  friends  in 
stead  of  at  the  enemy;  but  it  was  all  good,  clean 
sport,  and  everybody  enjoyed  it  greatly. 

"Now,  then,  fellows,  for  a  center  rush !"  came 
from  Stanley,  when  he  and  Sam  and  about 
twenty  others  had  forced  their  way  to  within 
ten  yards  of  the  flagpole. 

"Avalanche  them,  boys!  Avalanche  them!" 
came  suddenly  from  one  of  the  sophomores,  and 
then  without  warning  huge  chunks  of  loose  snow 
were  sent  flying  through  the  air  on  the  heads 
of  those  who  were  battling  to  get  to  the  flag 
pole. 

"Great  Caesar's  ghost!"  spluttered  Bob,  as 
some  of  the  snow  went  down  inside  his  collar. 
"What  is  this ;  a  snowslide  ?" 

"Oh,  you  mustn't  mind  a  little  thing  like  that,'* 
answered  Sam  Rover.  "Come  ahead,  everybody  I 
Push!" 

There  was  a  wild  scramble,  with  many  yells 
and  shouts.  Student  after  student  went  down 
in  the  melee,  a  few  to  be  trampled  upon,  but 
fortunately  nobody  was  seriously  hurt.  There 
was  such  a  congestion  that  to  make  or  throw 


8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

more  snowballs  was  out  of  the  question,  and 
the  most  a  fighter  could  do  was  to  snatch  up  a 
handful  of  loose  snow  and  thrust  it  down  the 
neck  of  the  student  opposing  him.  Sam  and 
Stanley,  with  four  others  close  by  them,  had! 
now  managed  to  get  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
flagpole.  Here,  however,  the  freshmen  and 
sophomores  had  planted  themselves  in  a  solid 
mass,  and  it  looked  for  the  moment  as  if  noth 
ing  could  budge  them. 

"Only  six  minutes  more,  boys !  Only  six  min 
utes  more!"  came  from  one  of  the  sophomores 
who  had  been  detailed  as  a  timekeeper.  "Save 
those  banners  for  six  minutes  and  we'll  win." 

"Hit  'em,  fellows,  hit  'em!"  roared  Stanley. 
"We've  got  to  get  those  banners  this  year." 

"And  we're  going  to  do  it,"  added  Sam.  He 
turned  to  Bob  and  Spud.  "Boost  me  up,  fel 
lows,  and  I'll  walk  right  over  their  heads  to  the 
pole." 

"All  right,  if  you  want  to  take  the  chance," 
answered  Spud,  and  in  a  twinkling  Sam  was 
shoved  up  into  the  air  onto  the  shoulders  of 
the  boy  in  front  of  him. 

This  student  let  out  a  cry  of  alarm,  but  be 
fore  he  could  do  anything  Sam  made  a  leap 
forward,  landing  on  the  shoulders  of  two  stu 
dents  close  to  the  pole. 


THE  SNOWBALL  FIGHT  9 

"Fire  him  back!  Don't  let  him  reach  the. 
pole!"  came  in  a  yell  from  several  throats. 

"Hold  him  by  the  ankles!  Don't  let  him 
jump!"  cried  out  the  leader  of  the  fort  de 
fenders. 

Several  students  turned  to  clutch  at  the  ankles 
of  Sam  Rover,  but  he  was  too  nimble  for  them, 
and  with  another  leap  he  reached  the  flagpole 
and  clutched  it  tightly. 

"Hurrah!     Rover  has  reached  the  pole!" 

"Get  those  banners,  Sam !  There  is  no  time  to 
spare !" 

"Hold  him !"  "Pull  him  down !"  "Maul  him !" 
cried  the  fort  defenders.  "Don't  let  him  climb 
up  the  pole !" 

Several  turned  to  clutch  at  Sam's  legs  and 
feet,  but  he  thrashed  out  wildly  and  all  but  one 
fell  back,  fearing  injury.  The  undaunted  stu 
dent  caught  Sam  by  a  heel  and  held  on  very  much 
as  might  a  bulldog. 

"Let  go  there,"  came  from  Spud,  and  the  next 
instant  he  raised  a  chunk  of  snow  and  shoved  it 
directly  into  the  open  mouth  of  the  boy  who 
had  the  grip.  This  was  too  much  for  the  stu 
dent,  and  he  fell  back  among  his  fellows. 

"Only  two  minutes  more !"  yelled  the  time 
keeper.  "Two  minutes  more !" 

"We  won't  need  more  than  fifteen  seconds," 


10     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

came  triumphantly  from  Sam,  and  as  he  spoke 
he  commenced  to  climb  the  pole. 

A  sophomore  followed,  clutching  again  at  one 
of  his  feet,  but  now  the  Rover  boy  had  his  hand 
on  the  first  of  the  banners,  and  down  it  came 
in  a  twinkling,  and  the  second  quickly  fol 
lowed. 

"Here  you  are,  boys;  catch  them!"  Sam  cried 
•and,  wadding  the  banners  into  something  of  a 
ball,  he  hurled  them  out  into  the  midst  of  a  group 
of  seniors. 

''Hurrah!  we've  got  'em!"  was  the  triumphant 
cry.  "We've  got  'em !" 

"Time's  up !"  yelled  the  timekeeper. 

A  cheer  arose  from  the  juniors  and  seniors, 
who  quickly  held  the  captured  banners  aloft. 
The  freshmen  and  sophomores  were,  of  course, 
keenly  disappointed,  and  a  number  of  them 
showed  it. 

"Let's  drive  them  out  of  the  fort,  anyway!" 
was  the  sudden  cry.  "Give  it  to  'em !  Send  'em 
flying!" 

"Wait,  wait,  this  contest  is  at  an  end,"  said 
a  professor  who  was  one  of  the  umpires. 

"Never  mind,  let's  have  some  fun  anyway." 
This  cry  was  taken  up  on  every  side,  and  while 
some  of  the  seniors  retired  with  the  two  cap 
tured  banners,  the  other  students  continued  the 


THE  SNOWBALL  FIGHT  il 

contest,  those  who  had  held  the  fort  doing  all 
they  possibly  could  to  overcome  and  expel  their 
enemies. 

As  soon  as  he  had  thrown  the  banners  Sam 
slid  down  the  pole,  and  was  now  trying  his  best 
to  make  his  way  out  of  the  crowd  of  fresh 
men  and  sophomores.  These  students  were  very 
bitter  against  the  Rover  boy,  and  several  did  all 
they  could  to  trip  him  up  and  cover  him  with 
snow. 

"Say,  Sam,  that  was  great !"  cried  Spud.  "Best 
I  ever  saw!" 

"Out  with  'em !  Out  with  'em !"  was  the  yell. 
"Don't  let  'em  stay  in  the  fort  even  if  they  did 
get  the  banners." 

"Come  on!"  cried  Sam  quickly.  "Now  we 
have  the  banners  let  us  drive  them  clean  down 
the  other  side  of  the  hill." 

This  suggestion  received  instant  approval 
and,  in  spite  of  all  that  some  of  the  professors 
could  do  to  stop  it,  the  fight  went  on  as  furi 
ously  as  ever.  Some  of  the  students  who  had 
retreated  to  a  safe  distance  came  back  with  a 
fresh  supply  of  snowballs,  and  the  air  was  once 
more  filled  with  the  flying  missiles. 

"Come  on,  let  us  teach  them  a  lesson,"  cried 
Bob  Grimes.  "They  should  have  stopped  fight 
ing  as  soon  as  the  banners  were  captured.  Let 


12     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

us  give  the  sophomores  and  freshmen  all  they 
want." 

This  cry  was  taken  up  on  all  sides,  and  around 
and  around  the  enclosure  which  had  been  desig 
nated  the  fort  went  the  various  crowds  of  stu 
dents.  The  blood  of  the  juniors  and  seniors 
was  now  up,  and  slowly  but  surely  they  forced 
the  younger  students  to  retreat.  Then  came  a 
break  and  something  of  a  panic,  and  a  few  min 
utes  later  the  fort  defenders  were  retreating 
down  the  other  side  of  the  hill,  which  led  through 
some  brushwood  to  a  road  that  ran  to  Ashton. 

"After  'em!  After  'em!  Don't  let  'em  get 
away!"  cried  Sam,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to 
go  down  the  hill  after  the  retreating  students- 
On  the  way  he  paused  only  long  enough  to  make 
several  snowballs. 

Having  reached  the  road  which  led  to  the 
town,  the  freshmen  and  sophomores  divided, 
some  going  behind  a  barn  and  others  taking  to 
the  woods  beyond.  Not  knowing  exactly  what 
to  do  next,  Sam  and  several  with  him  halted  to 
consider  the  matter. 

"There  they  go !"  was  the  cry  a  moment  later, 
and  a  number  of  students  were  seen  speeding 
around  a  corner  of  the  road. 

"That's  Bissel,  the  fellow  who  hit  me  in  the 
ear,"  cried  Sam.  "I'm  going  after  him." 


THE  SNOWBALL  FIGHT  13 

"And,  yes,  there  is  Dutz,  who  filled  my  mouth 
with  snow,"  cried  Spud.  "Come  on!" 

Sam  was  already  on  the  run,  and,  coming  to 
the  turn  in  the  road,  he  let  fly  several  snowballs. 

"Here!  Here!  What  do  you  mean  by  such 
actions?"  came  suddenly  from  behind  some 
brushwood  which  lined  the  roadway  and  then, 
as  the  students  advanced  still  further,  they  were 
surprised  to  find  themselves  confronted  by  a  tall 
man  wearing  a  heavy,  fur-lined  overcoat.  He 
had  likewise  been  wearing  a  beaver  hat,  but 
the  tile  now  lay  in  the  snow. 

"Belright  Fogg!"  exclaimed  Sam  in  dismay. 
"That  lawyer  who  tried  to  get  the  best  of  us! 
And  I  thought  he  was  one  of  the  students!" 

"Ha !  so  it  is  you,"  snarled  the  man  in  the  fur 
overcoat  harshly.  "What  do  you  mean,  Rover, 
by  attacking  me  in  this  fashion?" 


CHAPTER   II 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS 

"SAY!  that  isn't  one  of  the  students." 
"Not  much !    Why,  that's  the  lawyer  who  used 
to  do  business   for  the  railroad  company — the 
man  the  Rovers  had  so  much  trouble  with!" 
"Who  knocked  his  hat  off?" 
"I  don't  know — Sam  Rover,  I  guess." 
Such  were  some  of  the  remarks  made  as  a 
number  of  the  juniors  and  seniors  began  to  con 
gregate  around  Sam  and  Mr.  Belright  Fogg.  All 
of  the  students  could  readily  see  that  the  lawyer 
was  very  much  put  out  over  what  had  occurred 
"I  say,  Rover,  what  do  you  mean  by  attack 
ing  me  in  this  fashion?"  repeated  Belright  Fogg, 
with  a  savage  look  at  the  youth  before  him. 

"If  I  knocked  your  hat  off,  Mr.  Fogg,  I  am 
sorry  for  it,"  answered  Sam,  as  soon  as  he  could 
recover  from  his  surprise. 

"Knocked  my  hat  off?"  roared  the  lawyer. 
"You  hit  me  a  hard  one  on  the  head ;  that  is  what 
you  did!" 

14 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS   15 

"Let  me  see  if  you  are  hurt,"  put  in  Stanley, 
stepping  forward.  "Where  did  the  snowball  hit 
you?" 

"You  keep  your  hands  off  me,"  returned  Bel- 
right  Fogg.  "I've  a  good  mind  to  have  the  law 
on  such  loafers  as  you." 

"We  are  not  loafers,  Mr.  Fogg,"  answered 
Sam,  the  color  coming  quickly  to  his  face.  "We 
were  having  our  annual  snowballing  contest,  and 
\ve  did  not  know  that  any  outsider  was  on  this 
back  road.  If  I  hit  you  and  hurt  you  I  am  very 
sorry  for  it." 

"Humph!  I  think  you  will  be  sorry  for  it  if  I 
bring  a  suit  for  damages,"  muttered  the  lawyer. 
"I  don't  know  why  Dr.  Wallington  permits  such 
rowdyism." 

"This  isn't  rowdyism,  nor  are  we  loafers,"  put 
in  Stanley,  somewhat  sharply.  "You  seem  to 
forget,  Mr.  Fogg,  that  this  road  runs  through 
the  property  belonging  to  Brill  College,  and  we 
have  a  perfect  right  to  hold  our  snowballing 
contest  here.  If  you  want  to  report  the  mat 
ter  to  Dr.  Wall " 

"Bah!  I  know  you  students,  and  I  wouldn't 
expect  any  sympathy  from  your  teacher.  He's 
too  afraid  of  losing  any  of  his  students."  Bel- 
right  Fogg  snatched  his  beaver  hat  from  the 
hands  of  Spud,  who  had  picked  it  up.  "I'll  set- 


16     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

tie  with  you  for  this  later,  Rover,"  he  added, 
and  then  turned  on  his  heel  and  hurried  down 
the  road. 

"I  wonder  what  brought  him  on  this  back 
road  on  foot?"  observed  Bob. 

"He  isn't  on  foot.  He  has  his  horse  and  cut 
ter  beside  the  barn,"  answered  another  student. 
"There  he  is  now,  picking  up  a  robe  out  of  the 
snow.  It  must  have  fallen  out  of  the  cutter  and 
he  walked  back  to  get  it."  Which  surmise  was 
correct. 

"This  looks  like  more  trouble  for  me,"  said 
Sam,  soberly.  "I'm  mighty  sorry  it  was  Mr.  Bel- 
right  Fogg  I  hit  with  that  snowball." 

"You  can  wager  he'll  make  out  a  case  against 
you  if  he  possibly  can,"  remarked  Spud.  "Law 
yers  of  his  calibre  always  do." 

"Well,  this  settles  the  snowball  fight  for  us," 
put  in  Stanley,  as  he  looked  up  and  down  the 
road.  "The  freshies  and  sophs  are  clear  out  of 
sight.  Let  us  go  back  to  the  campus  and  cele 
brate  our  victory;"  and  then,  as  Belright  Fogg 
drove  away  in  his  cutter,  the  students  walked 
over  the  hill  in  the  direction  of  Brill. 

To  my  old  readers  the  youths  already  men 
tioned  in  these  pages  will  need  no  special  intro 
duction.  For  the  benefit  of  others,  however,  let 
me  state  that  Sam  Rover  was  the  youngest  of 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS     17 

three  brothers,  Dick  being  the  eldest  and  fun- 
loving  Tom  coming  next.  They  were  the  sons 
of  one  Anderson  Rover,  a  rich  widower,  and 
had  for  years  made  their  home  with  their  Un 
cle  Randolph  and  their  Aunt  Martha  at  a  beauti 
ful  farm  called  Valley  Brook. 

From  the  farm,  and  while  their  father  was 
in  Africa,  the  three  Rover  boys  had  been  sent 
by  their  uncle  to  school,  as  related  in  the  first 
volume  of  this  series,  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys 
at  School."  This  place  was  called  Putnam  Hall 
Military  Academy,  and  there  the  lads  made  many 
friends,  and  likewise  several  enemies,  and  had 
"the  time  of  their  lives,"  as  Tom  Rover  often 
expressed  it* 

The  first  term  at  school  was  followed  by  an 
exciting  trip  on  the  ocean,  and  then  another 
trip  into  the  jungles  of  Africa,  where  the  boys 
went  looking  for  their  parent.  Then  came  a  trip 
to  the  West,  followed  by  some  grand  times  on 
the  Great  Lakes  and  in  the  Mountains.  Then 
the  boys  returned  to  Putnam  Hall,  to  go  into  an 
encampment  with  their  fellow-cadets. 

This  term  at  Putnam  Hall  was  followed  by  a 

*  For  particulars  regarding  how  Putnam  Hall  Military 
Academy  was  organized,  and  what  fine  times  the  cadets 
there  enjoyed  even  before  the  Rover  boys  came  on  the 
scene,  read  "The  Putnam  Hall  Series,"  six  volumes,  start 
ing  with  "The  Putnam  Hall  Cadets." — PUBLISHERS. 


18  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

never-to-be-forgotten  journey  on  Land  and  Sea 
to  a  far-away  island  in  the  Pacific.  Then  they 
returned  to  this  country,  sailing  down  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers.  After  leaving  the 
Father  of  Waters,  they  took  an  outing  on  the 
Plains,  and  then  went  down  into  Southern  Wa 
ters,  where  they  solved  the  mystery  of  a  de 
serted  steam  yacht. 

After  so  many  exciting  adventures  the  three 
brothers  had  been  glad  to  journey  to  the  home 
farm  for  a  rest,  after  which  they  returned  to 
Putnam  Hall,  settled  down  to  their  studies,  and 
graduated  with  considerable  honor. 

"Now  for  college !"  Dick  Rover  had  said.  But 
before  setting  out  for  Brill,  a  fine  institution  of 
learning  located  in  the  Middle  West,  the  boys 
had  become  involved  in  a  search  for  a  fortune 
left  on  Treasure  Isle. 

During  their  days  at  Putnam  Hall  the  Rover 
boys  had  become  well  acquainted  with  Dora 
Stanhope,  who  lived  near  the  school  with  her 
widowed  mother,  and  also  with  Nellie  and  Grace 
Laning,  Dora's  two  cousins,  who  resided  a  short 
distance  farther  away.  It  had  not  been  long  be 
fore  Dick  and  Dora  showed  a  great  liking  for 
each  other,  and  at  the  same  time  Tom  often 
paired  off  with  Nellie  and  Sam  was  frequently 
seen  in  the  company  of  Grace. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS  19 

A  few  miles  away  from  Brill  College  was  lo 
cated  Hope  Seminary,  an  institution  for  girls, 
and  when  the  Rover  boys  went  to  Brill,  Dora, 
"Nellie  and  Grace  went  to  Hope;  so  that  the 
young  folks  met  almost  as  often  as  before. 

A  term  at  Brill  College  was  followed  by  an 
unexpected  trip  Down  East,  where  the  Rovers 
brought  to  terms  a  rascally  ex-schoolteacher, 
named  Josiah  Crabtree,  who  had  given  them 
much  trouble  while  at  Putnam  Hall. 

In  those  days  the  art  of  flying  was  attracting 
considerable  attention  and,  through  the  indul 
gence  of  their  father,  the  Rover  boys  became 
the  possessors  of  a  biplane  and  took  several 
thrilling  trips  through  the  air,  their  experiences 
in  that  line  coming  to  an  abrupt  finish  when 
the  flying  machine  was  one  day  wrecked  on  the 
railroad  tracks.  This  had  brought  on  a  sharp 
contest  between  the  Rover  boys  and  the  railroad 
lawyer,  Mr.  Belright  Fogg.  The  Rovers  had 
claimed  all  that  was  coming  to  them,  and  the 
railroad  had  been  made  to  pay  up,  much  to  Bel- 
right  Fogg's  disgust.  Later,  the  lawyer  had  been 
discharged  by  the  railroad  from  its  services. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Anderson  Rover,  who 
was  not  in  the  best  o'f  health,  was  having  much 
trouble  with  brokers  in  New  York  City  who  were 
trying  to  swindle  him  out  of  some  property.  The 


20  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

brokers  were  Pelter,  Jackson  &  Company,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  the  Rover  boys  discov 
ered  that  Pelter  was  in  league  with  Josiah  Crab- 
tree.  In  a  struggle  poor  Tom  Rover  was  hit 
on  the  head  by  a  wooden  footstool  thrown  by 
Pelter  and  knocked  unconscious.  This  had  so 
affected  his  mind  that  he  wandered  off  to  Alas 
ka,  and  Sam  and  Dick  had  many  adventures 
trying  to  locate  him.  When  he  was  found  he 
was  brought  home  and  placed  under  the  care  of 
a  specialist,  and  soon  was  as  well  as  ever. 

Dick  Rover  was  now  growing  older,  and,  with 
his  father  in  such  poor  health,  it  was  decided 
that  the  youth  should  leave  Brill,  become  mar 
ried  to  Dora,  and  settle  down  in  charge  of  the 
office  in  Wall  Street,  New  York.  This  plan  was 
carried  out,  as  related  in  detail  in  the  volume 
preceding  this,  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys  in 
Business."  At  that  time,  Sam  and  Tom  still 
remained  at  Brill,  but  an  urgent  message  from 
Dick  brought  them  quickly  to  the  metropolis. 
A  large  number  of  unregistered  bonds  belonging 
to  the  Rovers  had  mysteriously  disappeared,  and 
all  the  boys  went  on  a  hunt  to  recover  the  se 
curities.  In  the  end  it  was  learned  thast  their 
old  enemy,  Jesse  Pelter,  was  the  guilty  party, 
and  he  was  brought  to  justice.  Then  it  was 
felt  that  Dick  needed  assistance  in  the  office, 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS  21 

and  it  was  decided,  much  to  Tom's  satisfaction, 
that  he  might  get  married  to  Nellie  Laning  and 
move  to  the  city. 

"That  will  leave  me  all  alone  at  Brill,"  said 
Sam  Rover  at  that  time. 

"Well,  you  shouldn't  mind  that  so  much,"  Tom 
Rover  had  replied.  "Remember,  Grace  will  still 
be  at  Hope,"  at  which  words  the  youngest 
Rover  had  blushed  deeply. 

When  the  Rovers  had  gone  to  Brill  College 
they  had  been  accompanied  by  their  old-time 
school  chum,  John  Powell,  always  called  "Song 
bird"  on  account  of  his  propensity  for  writing 
doggerel  which  he  insisted  on  calling  poetry. 
At  the  same  time  there  came  to  Brill  from  Put 
nam  Hall  one  William  Philander  Tubbs,  a  very 
dudish  student  with  whom  the  boys  often  had 
great  fun. 

It  did  not  take  the  three  Rover  boys  long 
to  make  a  number  of  friends  at  Brill.  These 
included  Stanley  Browne,  a  tall,  gentlemanly 
youth;  Bob  Grimes,  who  was  greatly  interested 
1  in  baseball;  Will  Jackson,  always  called  Spud, 
because  of  his  unusual  fondness  for  potatoes; 
and  Max  Spangler,  a  German-American  youth, 
who  was  still  struggling  with  the  language,  and 
who  had  failed  to  advance  in  his  studies,  so  that 
at  the  present  time  he  was  only  in  the  sophomore 


22  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

class.  They  had  also  made  several  enemies,  but 
these  had  for  the  time  being  left  Brill. 

"You'll  be  the  hero  of  this  occasion,  Sam/' 
remarked  Stanley,  as  the  students  tramped  in 
the  direction  of  the  college  campus. 

"Hero  of  the  occasion,  I  suppose,  for  hitting 
Mr.  Fogg  in  the  head,"  returned  Sam,  with  a 
slight  grin. 

"Oh,  forget  that!"  burst  out  Spud.  "I  don't 
think  he'll  do  a  thing.  Remember  the  affair  oc 
curred  on  the  college  grounds,  just  as  Stanley 
said." 

"Say!  where  is  Songbird  to-day?"  asked  Paul 
Orben.  "He  ought  to  have  been  in  this  fight." 

"He  wanted  to  come  very  much,"  answered 
Sam,  "but  he  had  a  special  errand  to  do  for  Mr. 
Sanderson,  who  is  laid  up  with  a  broken  ankle." 

"Was  he  doing  the  errand  for  Mr.  Sanderson 
or  for  Minnie?"  questioned  Stanley;  and  then 
a  short  laugh  went  up,  for  it  was  well  known 
among  the  young  collegians  that  Songbird  Pow 
ell  and  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Sanderson,  a  pros 
perous  farmer  of  that  vicinity,  were  much  at 
tached  to  each  other. 

As  Sam  Rover  and  his  friends  reached  the 
college  campus,  a  great  cheer  arose. 

"There  he  is!" 

"Here  the  conquering  hero  comes!" 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS     23 

"Let  us  put  him  up  on  our  shoulders,  fellows !" 
and  a  rush  was  made  towards  the  youngest  Rover 
boy. 

"Not  much !  Not  to-day !"  returned  Sam,  and 
slid  back  behind  some  of  his  friends. 

"Aw!  come  on,  Sam!"  cried  one  of  the  stu 
dents.  "You  are  the  hero  of  the  occasion,  and 
you  know  it." 

"Forget  it,  Snips,"  answered  Sam.  "What 
did  the  fellows  do  with  those  banners?" 

"Lentwell  has  them.  He  is  keeping  them  for 
you.  I  suppose  you'll  nail  them  up  in  your  den?" 

"Surest  thing  you  know!" 

"Maybe  the  f  reshies  and  sophs  will  want  them 
back,"  put  in  another  youth  in  the  crowd. 

"Not  much !  They  can  have  them  back  after 
I  graduate  next  June,"  answered  Sam.  "They 

have  got  to  understand Stop  it,  fellows, 

stop  it!  I  don't  want  to Well,  if  you've 

got  to,  I  suppose  I'll  have  to  submit."  And  an 
instant  later  Sam  found  himself  hoisted  up  on 
the  shoulders  of  several  stalwart  seniors,  who 
tramped  around  and  around  the  college  campus 
with  him  while  all  the  other  seniors,  and  also 
the  juniors,  cheered  wildly  and  waved  their  caps. 

"Doesn't  that  make  you  feel  proud,  Sam?" 
asked  Spud,  during  a  lull  in  the  proceedings. 

"It  sure  does,  Spud,"  was  the  quick  reply. 


24  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"I've  only  got  one  regret — that  Dick  and  Tom 
aren't  here  to  share  this  victory  with  us." 

"Yes,  it's  a  shame.  And  just  to  think  of  It, 
after  next  June,  when  we  graduate,  we'll  all  be 
scattered  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  and  the 
good  old  times  at  Brill  will  be  a  thing  of  the 
past." 

"Don't  mention  such  things"  put  in  Stanley. 
"It  makes  me  sick  clean  to  the  heels  every  time 
I  think  of  it.  But  I  suppose  college  days  can't 
last  forever.  We've  got  to  go  out  into  the 
world,  just  as  our  fathers  did  before  us." 

"Yes,  and  I've  got  to  get  into  business,"  an 
swered  Sam.  "I  want  to  help  father,  as  well  as 
Dick  and  Tom,  all  I  can." 

"Hi,  fellows!"  was  the  unexpected  cry  from 
the  lower  end  of  the  campus.  "Here  come  the 
freshies  and  the  sophs  back!  Line  up  and  be 
ready  to  receive  them!" 

"That's  it!  Line  up,  line  up,  everybody!" 
ordered  Stanley.  "Give  them  our  old  song  of 
victory  1" 


CHAPTER   III 

WHAT    HAPPENED    TO    SONGBIRD 

IT  was  fully  half  an  hour  later  before  Sam 
Rover  could  break  away  from  his  college  chums 
and  run  up  to  room  Number  25,  which  he  had 
formerly  occupied  with  his  brother  Tom  and 
which  he  now  shared  with  Songbird  Powell. 

Nearly  a  week  before,  the  youngest  Rover 
had  made  a  date  with  Grace  Laning,  inviting 
her,  if  the  snow  remained  on  the  ground,  to  a 
sleighride  that  afternoon  and  evening.  At  that 
time  Sam  had  forgotten  completely  that  this 
day  was  the  date  set  for  the  annual  snowballing 
contest. 

"I  think  I'll  go  anyway,"  he  had  remarked  to 
Songbird,  the  day  before.  But  then  had  come 
word  to  his  roommate  that  Mr.  Sanderson  want 
ed  him  on  a  matter  of  importance,  and  Stanley, 
as  the  leader  of  the  seniors,  had  insisted  upon 
it  that  he  could  not  spare  both  of  his  chums. 

"All  right,  then,"  Sam  had  answered  finally; 
"you  can  go,  Songbird,  and  do  what  Mr.  San- 

25 


26      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

derson  wants  you  to,  and  I'll  put  off  my  sleigh- 
ride  with  Grace  until  after  the  contest;"  and  so 
it  had  been  settled. 

There  were  no  public  turnouts  at  the  college, 
but  Sam  had  arranged  with  Abner  Filbury,  who 
worked  around  the  place  with  his  father,  to 
obtain  for  him  a  first-class  horse  and  cutter  from 
the  Ashton  livery  stable. 

"That  horse  is  some  goer,  believe  mef"  re 
marked  Abner,  when  he  came  to  the  door  of 
Sam's  room,  to  tell  him  that  the  turnout  was  in 
readiness.  "You'll  have  to  keep  your  eye  on 
him,  Mr.  Rover." 

"All  right,  Ab.  Trust  me  to  take  care  of 
him,"  returned  Sam  lightly.  "Don't  forget  that 
I  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  my  Uncle  Ran 
dolph  had  some  pretty  spirited  animals." 

"Have  a  good  time,  Sam!"  cried  Spud,  who 
was  present  to  see  his  chum  depart.  "Wish  I 
was  going  to  see  such  a  nice  girl." 

"Oh,  your  time  will  come  some  day,"  an 
swered  Sam. 

"Are  you  going  directly  to  Hope?" 

"Yes." 

"Alone?" 

"I  expect  to  unless  you  want  to  ride  along  that 
far." 

"Say!  I'd  like  that  first-rate,"  returned  Spud, 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  SONGBIRD  vj 

eagerly.  "I  know  some  of  the  girls  up  there, 
and  I'd  like  to  call  on  them.  I  wouldn't  mind 
walking  back  later  on." 

"Then  come  on  if  you  are  ready.  I  haven't 
any  time  to  wait." 

"Oh.  I'm  always  ready,"  came  from  Spud; 
and  he  lost  no  time  in  bestowing  himself  be 
side  Sam. 

The.  latter  gathered  up  the  reins,  gave  a 
slight  chirp  to  the  horse,  and  away  they  sped 
out  of  the  college  grounds  and  on  to  the  high 
way  leading  past  Hope  Seminary,  which  was 
ibout  two  miles  distant. 

The  air  was  cool  and  bracing,  and  the  snow 
•on  the  highway  well  packed  down,  so  that  the 
Tutter  slid  over  it  with  ease.  As  Abner  Fil- 
bury  had  said,  the  steed  was  a  mettlesome  one, 
and  soon  Sam  found  he  had  all  he  could  do  to 
hold  the  horse  in. 

"Some  goer,  that!"  remarked  Spud,  as  he 
pulled  his  cap  down  tighter  to  keep  it  from  flying 
off.  "Puts  me  in  mind  of  a  race  horse." 

"Yes,  I  shouldn't  wonder  but  what  he  could 
make  a  mile  in  almost  record  time,"  responded 
Sam,  as  they  flew  along  past  the  trees,  bushes 
and  occasional  farm  buildings  which  lined  the 
roadway  near  Brill. 

"You  want  to  watch  yourself  with  a  horse 


2g     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

that  goes  as  fast  as  that,"  returned  Spud,  with 
a  chuckle.  "If  you  don't,  you'll  get  a  mile  or 
two  past  Hope  before  you  know  it;"  and  at  this 
little  joke  Sam  grinned. 

Early  in  the  ride  they  passed  one  or  two  cut 
ters  and  several  farm  wagons.  Then  they, 
reached  a  turn  in  the  road,  and  to  their  sur 
prise  saw  ahead  of  them  a  sign  resting  on  a 
large  wooden  horse: 

ROAD   CLOSED 

"Hello!  What  does  this  mean?"  queried  Sam, 
as  he  brought  his  horse  to  a  standstill.  "I  didn't 
know  this  road  was  shut  off." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  heard  something  about  this,  come 
to  think  of  it,"  returned  Spud.  "They  are  go 
ing  to  move  that  old  Jackson  barn  from  one 
side  of  the  road  to  the  other,  and  they  must 
have  closed  the  road  for  that  purpose.  You'll 
have  to  take  the  old  road  on  the  left,  Sam." 

"I  suppose  so,"  grumbled  the  other.  "Too 
bad,  too,  for  this  road  was  just  about  perfect 
for  sleighing.  But  never  mind,  I  suppose  I  can 
get  through  on  the  other  road  well  enough." 

They  turned  back  a  distance  of  less  than  two 
hundred  feet,  and  then  took  to  the  side  road 
which  Spud  had  mentioned.  This  was  more 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  SONGBIRD  29 

hilly  than  the  other,  and  ran  through  a  long  patch 
of  timberland  on  which  no  houses  were  located. 

"Hark!  Don't  I  hear  another  sleigh  com 
ing?"  questioned  Spud,  a  minute  later. 

"Something  is  coming,  that's  sure,"  answered 
Sam.  "Gracious  me!  Look  at  that!" 

Coming  to  another  bend  of  the  woodland  road, 
the  youngest  Rover  had  barely  time  to  pull  his 
steed  well  toward  the  right  hand  and  almost 
into  some  bushes  when  another  cutter  hove  into 
sight,  coming  along  at  a  furious  rate.  The  horse 
was  on  a  gallop,  and  the  man  driving  him,  a 
fellow  wrapped  up  in  a  heavy  overcoat  and  with 
a  fur  cap  pulled  far  down  over  his  forehead, 
was  using  his  whip  freely. 

"Wow !  That  fellow  must  be  in  some  hurry," 
observed  Spud,  as  the  other  turnout  flashed  past. 
"He  isn't  sparing  his  horse  any." 

"It's  a  lucky  thing  for  me  that  I  pulled  in  here 
as  I  did,"  returned  Sam,  and  his  tone  of  voice 
showed  his  anger.  "If  I  hadn't  done  it  he  would 
have  run  into  us,  sure  pop." 

"You're  right,  Sam.  That  fellow  had  no 
right  to  come  along  in  that  fashion.  He  ought 
to  be  arrested  for  reckless  driving.  But  maybe 
he  wants  to  catch  a  train  at  Ashton  or  some 
thing  like  that." 

"No  train  he  could  catch  for  an  hour  and  a 


30  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

half,  Spud.  And  he  could  walk  to  the  station 
in  that  time ;"  and  thus  speaking,  Sam  chirruped 
to  the  horse,  and  they  resumed  their  ride. 

A  little  farther  on  the  woodland  road  made 
another  turn,  and  here  the  way  was  uphill.  The 
numerous  rains  of  the  summer  previous  had 
washed  the  rocks  bare  of  dirt,  and  often  the  cut 
ter  bumped  and  scraped  so  badly  that  Sam  was 
compelled  to  bring  his  steed  down  to  a  walk. 

"Well,  one  satisfaction,  we'll  be  back  to  the 
main  road  before  long,"  observed  Spud,  as  they 
finally  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  and  could  get 
a  view  of  the  surroundings.  "There  is  the  other 
road  just  below  us." 

"Hello!  What's  that  ahead?"  cried  Sam, 
pointing  with  his  left  hand.  "Looks  to  me  like 
somebody  lying  in  the  snow." 

"It  is  somebody !"  exclaimed  his  chum.  "Say ! 
do  you  suppose  that  other  horse  was  running 
away,  and  this  fellow  fell  out?" 

"Not  much,  with  that  other  fellow  using  the 
whip  as  he  was!"  returned  Sam.  "This  fellow 
ahead  probably  had  nothing  to  do  with  that 
other  cutter.  Excepting  he  may  have  been 
knocked  down  by  the  horse,"  he  added  sud 
denly. 

"That's  what  the  trouble  is!  That  rascal 
knocked  this  fellow  down  and  then  hurried  on, 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  SONGBIRD  31 

Sam!  Poor  fellow!  I  wonder  if  he  is  much 
hurt?" 

By  this  time  the  cutter  had  reached  a  point 
opposite  to  where  the  person  in  the  snow  rested. 
All  the  boys  could  see  was  some  person,  wrapped 
in  an  overcoat,  lying  face  downward.  A  cap 
that  looked  strangely  familiar  to  Sam  lay  close 
at  hand.  Stopping  the  horse,  Sam  leaped  from 
the  cutter,  and  Spud  did  the  same. 

"Say,  Sam!"  burst  out  the  latter,  "it  looks 
like " 

"Songbird!"  burst  out  the  Rover  boy.  "It's 
Songbird,  Spud,  and  he's  badly  hurt." 

It  was  indeed  poor  Songbird  Powell  who 
rested  there  in  the  snow  by  the  roadside.  He 
had  on  his  overcoat  and  his  fur-lined  gloves, 
but  his  head  was  bare,  and  from  a  cut  on  his 
left  temple  the  blood  was  flowing.  The  boys 
turned  their  college  chum  over,  and  at  this  Song 
bird  uttered  a  low  moan. 

"He  has  either  had  an  accident  or  been  at 
tacked,"  was  Spud's  comment.  "I  wonder  how 
badly  he's  hurt?" 

"I'm  afraid  it's  pretty  bad,"  answered  Sam, 
soberly.  "That's  a  nasty  cut.  And  say!  his 
chin  is  all  swelled  up  as  if  he  had  been  hit  there 
with  a  club!" 

The  two  boys  knelt  beside  their  unconscious 


32      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

chum  and  did  what  they  could  to  revive  him. 
But  Songbird  did  not  open  his  eyes,  nor  did  he 
make  any  other  sound  than  a  low  moan. 

"We'll  have  to  get  him  somewhere  out  of  this 
biting,  cold  air,"  observed  Sam.  "There  is  a 
farmhouse  just  below  here  on  the  main  road. 
Let  us  put  him  in  the  cutter  and  carry  him  there." 

When  they  picked  Songbird  up  he  uttered  an 
other  moan  and  for  an  instant  his  eyes  opened; 
but  then  he  collapsed  as  before.  They  deposited 
him  on  the  seat  of  the  turnout,  and  Sam  picked 
up  his  cap  and  several  books  that  lay  scattered 
around.  With  sober  faces  the  boys  led  the  met 
tlesome  horse  down  the  slope  to  the  main  road. 
Both  kept  their  eyes  on  their  chum,  but  be  still 
remained  insensible. 

"Maybe  he  won't  get  over  it,"  suggested  Spud. 

"Oh,  don't  say  that!"  cried  Sam  in  horror. 
"It  can't  be  as  bad  as  that."  And  then  he  added : 
"Spud,  did  you  notice  the  looks  of  that  horse 
when  he  dashed  past  us?" 

"I  didn't  have  time  to  notice  much,"  was  the 
rejly. 

"Did  he  wear  white  stockings?" 

"What  ?  Oh !  I  know  what  you  mean — white 
feet.  Yes,  he  had  white  feet.  I  know  that 
much." 

"And  did  he  have  any  white  under  his  neck?" 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  SONGBIRD  33 

"Yes,  I  think  he  did.  Do  ^cm  think  you  know 
the  horse,  Sam?" 

"I  know  Mr.  Sanderson  has  a  horse  with 
white  feet  and  a  white  chest — a  dark  horse, 
just  like  that  one  was." 

"Then  it  must  have  been  Mr.  Sanderson's 
horse  and  cutter!"  cried  Spud.  "If  it  was,  do 
you  think  that  man  was  running  away  with  the 
outfit?" 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think,  Spud.  To  my 
mind  it's  a  mighty  serious  piece  of  business. 
But  our  first  duty  is  to  do  all  we  can  for  poor 
Songbird." 

Arriving  at  the  nearest  farmhouse,  Spud  ran 
ahead  and  knocked  on  the  door.  A  woman  an 
swered  the  summons,  and  as  she  happened  to 
know  the  youth,  she  readily  consented  to  have 
Songbird  brought  in  and  laid  on  a  couch  in  the 
dining-room.  Hardly  had  this  been  done  when 
the  sufferer  slowly  opened  his  eyes. 

"Don — don't  hit  m-m-me  again!"  he  mur 
mured.  "Pie-please  don't !" 

"It's  all  right,  Songbird.  Don't  you  know 
me?"  said  Sam,  quietly. 

The  injured  collegian  opened  his  eyes  again 
and  stared  at  the  youth  before  him. 

"Sam!     Wh-where  did  you  co-come  from?" 

"Spud  and  I  found  you  on  the  road,  face  down 


34 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


in  the  snow,"  answered  Sam.  "What  happened? 
Did  you  fall  out  of  the  cutter,  or  were  you  at 
tacked?" 

"I — I Oh!  how  my  head  spins!"  mut 
tered  Songbird.  He  closed  his  eyes  again  and 
was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then  he  looked  once 
more  at  Sam. 

"I  was  attacked,"  he  mumbled.  "The  man — 
he  hit  me — with  a  club — and  hauled  me  out  of 
the  cutter." 

"It  must  have  been  the  fellow  we  saw  on 
the  road !"  exclaimed  Spud.  "Songbird,  why  did 
he  do  it?" 

"I — I — do-don't  know,"  mumbled  the  sufferer. 
"But  maybe  I  do!"  he  suddenly  shouted,  in  a 
strangely  unnatural  voice.  Then  with  a  sudden 
strength  born  of  fear,  he  raised  his  left  hand 
and  dived  down  into  the  inner  pocket  of  his  coat. 
"The  package!  It's  gone!" 

"The  package !    What  package  ?"  queried  Sam. 

"The  package  belonging  to  Mr.  Sanderson!" 
gasped  poor  Songbird.  "The  package  with  the 
four  thousand  dollars  in  it!  It's  gone!"  and 
with  another  groan  Songbird  lapsed  onoe  more 
into  unconsciousness. 


CHAPTER   IVi 

THE    CHASE 

IT  must  be  confessed  that  Sam  and  Spud,  as 
well  as  the  woman  of  the  house,  were  very  much 
surprised  over  the  statement  made  by  Song 
bird. 

"Attacked  and  robbed!"  murmured  Sam. 
"What  an  awful  thing  to  do !" 

"He  said  he  had  been  robbed  of  four  thousand 
dollars!"  broke  in  Spud.  "Where  in  the  world 
would  he  get  that  much  money?  He  must  be 
dreaming,  Sam." 

"I  hardly  think  so,  Spud.  I  know  he  was  to 
go  on  a  very  important  errand  for  Mr.  Sander 
son,  who  is  laid  up  at  home  with  a  sprained 
ankle." 

"Well,  if  Songbird  was  robbed,  it's  more  than 
likely  the  fellow  we  saw  in  the  cutter  did  it." 

"Exactly!  And  the  chances  are  he  will  get 
away  just  as  fast  as  he  possibly  can,"  added  Sam, 
bitterly. 

"What  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do?" 
35 


36     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"I  think  we  ought  to  notify  the  authorities, 
Spud." 

"Hadn't  we  better  wait  until  we  get  some 
particulars  from  Songbird?" 

"Not  much!  The  quicker  we  get  after  that 
fellow  the  better.  Remember  he  is  running  away 
not  only  with  the  money  but  also  with  Mr.  San 
derson's  horse  and  cutter.  Many  people  living 
in  this  vicinity  know  Mr.  Sanderson's  animal,  and 
that  may  help  us  to  locate  that  rascal."  Sam 
turned  to  the  woman  of  the  house.  "Have  you 
a  telephone?" 

"No,  we  haven't  any ;  but  the  folks  in  the  next 
house  up  the  road  have  one." 

"Then  I'll  go  there  and  telephone,"  said  Sam. 
"You  do  what  you  can  for  Songbird,  Spud.  I'll 
try  to  get  a  doctor,  too,  while  I'm  at  it." 

In  a  few  seconds  more  Sam  was  on  the  way, 
using  his  horse  and  cutter  for  that  purpose.  Ar 
riving  at  the  next  farmhouse,  he  readily  received 
permission  to  use  the  telephone,  and  at  once 
got  into  communication  with  the  authorities  in 
Ashton,  and  asked  the  official  in  charge  to  send 
word  around  to  the  various  towns  and  villages 
within  the  next  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  and  he  also 
sent  word  to  a  physician  at  Ashton.  Then  he 
managed  to  get  Grace  on  the  wire. 

"I'm  afraid  I'll  be  late,"  he  told  the  girl.  "And 


THE  CHASE  37 

maybe  I  won't  be  able  to  get  there  at  all,"  he 
added.  "Songbird  has  been  knocked  down  on 
the  road  and  robbed,  and  he  is  in  pretty  bad 
shape." 

"Oh,  Sam!  isn't  that  too  bad!"  was  Grace's 
reply.  "Do  you  mean  that  he  is  seriously  in 
jured?" 

"We  can't  tell  yet,  Grace.  I  have  just  tele 
phoned  for  the  doctor,  and  now  I  am  going  back 
to  the  Bray  farmhouse,  where  Songbird  is,  to 
wait  for  him."  And  after  that  Sam  gave  the 
girl  as  many  details  of  the  affair  as  he  deemed 
necessary. 

"Oh !  I  hope  he  gets  over  it,  Sam,"  said  Grace. 
"And  to  think  he  was  robbed  of  all  that  money! 
If  they  can't  get  it  back,  what  ever  will  Song 
bird  and  the  Sandersons  do?" 

"I  don't  know,"  he  returned.  "It  certainly  is 
a  bad  piece  of  business.  But  now  I've  got  to  go 
back,  so  I'll  say  good-bye." 

"Good-bye,  Sam,  and  you  stay  with  Songbird 
just  as  long  as  you  please.  We  can  have  our 
sleighride  some  other  time." 

When  Sam  returned  to  the  Bray  farmhouse 
he  found  that  Spud  and  the  lady  of  the  house 
had  washed  Songbird's  wound  and  bound  it  up. 
The  lady  had  also  brought  forth  some  simple 
home  remedies,  and  these  had  been  so  efficacious 


38 

that  Songbird  was  sitting  on  the  couch,  propped 
up  by  numerous  pillows. 

"Did  you  catch  him  ?"  asked  the  sufferer  eager 
ly,  as  Sam  entered. 

"I've  sent  word  to  the  police,  Songbird,  and 
sent  word  for  a  doctor  too.  Now  you  had  bet 
ter  take  it  easy  until  the  doctor  comes." 

"But  how  can  I  take  it  easy  with  .that  four 
thousand  dollars  missing?"  groaned  the  youth 
on  the  couch.  "Why,  I  can't  make  that  amount 
up,  and  Mr.  Sanderson  can't  afford  to  lose  it." 

"How  does  your  head  feel?" 

"It  feels  sore  all  over,  and  sometimes  spins 
like  a  top.  But  I  wouldn't  care  about  that  if  only 
I  could  get  that  money  back.  Can't  you  and 
Spud  go  after  that  rascal?" 

"I'm  willing  if  you  want  us  to,  Songbird ;  but 
you'll  have  to  promise  to  stay  here  until  the 
doctor  comes.  We  don't  want  you  to  attempt  to 
do  anything  while  you  are  in  your  present  con 
dition." 

"Oh,  I'll  stay  here,  don't  fear,"  answered 
Songbird,  grimly.  "I  just  tried  to  stand  up,  and 
I  went  in  a  heap,  and  Spud  and  the  lady  had 
to  put  me  back  on  this  couch." 

"Let's  take  that  horse  of  yours  and  go  after 
that  fellow,  Sam,"  burst  out  Spud,  eagerly. 
"That  horse  is  a  goer,  as  we  know,  and  we  ought 


THE  CHASE  39 

to  be  able  to  catch  that  man  sooner  or  later." 

"Providing  we  can  follow  his  trail,  Spud,"  an 
swered  Sam.  "You  must  remember  there  are  a 
good  many  side  roads  around  here,  and  he  can 
take  to  any  one  he  pleases." 

"But  we  might  be  able  to  find  the  footprints 
of  the  horse  in  the  snow." 

"Possibly,  although  I  doubt  it,  with  so  many 
other  horses  using  the  highway.  However,  come 
on,  we'll  do  the  best  we  can."  Sam  turned  again 
to  the  sufferer.  "Now,  Songbird,  you  keep  quiet 
until  the  doctor  comes,  and  then  you  do  exactly 
as  he  orders." 

"Maybe  Mrs.  Bray  will  see  to  that,"  ventured 
Spud. 

"I  will  if  you  want  me  to,"  responded  the 
woman  of  the  house.  "That  cut  on  his  head  is 
a  nasty  one,  and  if  he  doesn't  take  care  of  him 
self  it  may  make  him  real  sick." 

In  a  moment  more  Sam  and  Spud  were  out 
of  the  house  and  into  the  cutter,  which  was  then 
headed  up  the  side  road  where  they  had  found 
Songbird.  Here  they  stopped  for  an  instant  to 
take  another  look  around,  and  picked  up  two 
more  books  which  had  escaped  their  notice 
before. 

"Books  of  poetry,  both  of  'em,"  remarked 
Spud.  "Songbird  thinks  more  of  a  poem  than  he 


40     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

does  of  a  square  meal,"  and  he  smiled  a  bit 
grimly. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  reach  the  spot  where  the 
other  cutter  had  passed  them.  They  went  straight 
on,  soon  reaching  the  point  where  the  woodland 
road  joined  the  main  highway. 

"Now,  you  see,  here  is  where  we  are  going  to 
get  mixed  up,"  announced  Sam,  as  they  moved 
in  the  direction  of  Brill.  "Did  the  fellow  go- 
straight  to  Ashton,  or  did  he  turn  off  to  one  of 
the  other  places?" 

"The  folks  traveling  along  the  road  must  have 
seen  him,"  returned  Spud.  "Let  us  make  some 
inquiries  as  we  go  along." 

This  was  a  good  suggestion,  and  was  carried 
out.  They  found  a  farmer  who  had  seen  the 
strange  man  in  the  cutter  drive  toward  Ashton, 
and  a  little  later  they  met  two  ladies  in  a  sleigh 
who  declared  that  the  fellow  had  turned  into  a 
side  road  leading  to  a  hamlet  known  as  Lester's 
Corners. 

"If  he  went  there,  we  ought  to  have  a  chance 
to  catch  him,"  cried  Spud.  "This  road  I  know 
doesn't  go  beyond  the  Corners." 

"Yes.  But  he  could  take  a  road  from  there 
to  Dentonville,"  answered  Sam,  "and  you  know 
that  is  quite  a  railroad  station." 

"But  if  he  went  to  Dentonville  and  to  the  rail- 


THE  CHASE  4E 

road  station,  couldn't  you  telephone  to  the  opera 
tor  there  to  have  him  held?" 

"Maybe,  Spud,  providing  there  is  any  tele 
phone  at  the  Corners." 

Onward  they  went  once  more,  through  some 
heavy  woodland  and  then  over  several  small  hills, 
finally  coming  in  sight  of  the  Corners,  where 
were  located  a  general  store,  a  blacksmith's  shop, 
a  chapel,  and  about  a  dozen  houses. 

"Did  I  see  a  feller  in  a  cutter  goin'  as  fast  as 
he  could?"  repeated  the  storekeeper,  when  ques 
tioned  by  Sam.  "You  just  bet  I  did.  Gee  whiz ! 
but  he  was  goin'  to  beat  the  band !" 

"And  which  way  did  he  head  ?"  questioned  the 
Rover  boy,  eagerly. 

"Headed  right  straight  for  Dentonville." 

"And  how  long  ago  was  this  ?"  put  in  Spud. 

"Oh,  about  quarter  of  an  hour,  I  should  say. 
Say !  he  nearly  skeered  old  Mrs.  Rasley  to  deth. 
She  was  a-crossin'  the  road  comin'  to  my  store 
when  he  swung  aroun'  that  corner  yonder,  and 
he  come  within  a  foot  of  runnin'  over  her.  She 
wanted  to  git  Joe  Mason,  the  constable,  to  ar 
rest  him,  but,  gee  whiz !  there  wasn't  no  arrestin" 
to  it — he  was  out  o'  sight  before  you  could  say 
Jack  Robinson." 

"Have  you  any  telephone  connection  with 
Dentonville?"  questioned  Sam. 


42  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Ain't  got  no  telephone  here  at  all.  The  tele 
phone  fellers  promised  to  put  a  line  through  here 
three  years  ago,  but  somehow  they  hain't  got 
around  to  doin'  it.  You  see,  Squire  Buzby  owns 
some  of  their  stock,  and  he  don't  think  that  we 
ought  to " 

"That's  all  right,  Captain,"  broke  in  Sam,  has 
tily.  "Then  if  we  want  to  catch  that  fellow,  all 
we  can  do  is  to  go  after  him,  eh?" 

"Thet's  about  the  size  on  it,"  returned  the 
storekeeper.  "Now  you  see  if  we  had  thet  tele 
phone  here,  we  might  be  able  to " 

"That's  so,  we  might.  But  as  the  telephone  is 
missing,  we'll  go  after  him  in  our  cutter,"  broke 
in  Sara;  and  a  few  seconds  later  he  and  Spud 
were  once  more  on  their  way. 

The  road  to  Dentonville  was  not  much  trav 
eled,  and  for  a  mile  and  a  half  they  met  no  one. 
Then,  just  as  they  reached  a  crossing,  they  came 
in  sight  of  an  old  farmer  driving  a  box-sled  filled 
with  milk  cans. 

"Did  you  meet  a  man  driving  a  horse  and  cut 
ter  very  rapidly?"  questioned  Sam,  after  he  drew 
up.  "A  dark  horse  with  a  white  breast  and  white 
feet/" 

"I  jest  guess  I  did!"  replied  the  farmer.  "He 
come  pretty  close  to  runnin'  into  me." 

"Which  way  was  he  headed?" 


A   BLUE-COATED    POLICEMAN    SHOOK    HIS   CLUB   AT   THE    BOYS. 
Th.e  Rover  Boys  on  a  Tour.  Page  45. 


THE  CHASE 


43 


"Headed  straight  for  Dentonvifle." 

"Can  you  tell  me  when  the  next  train  stops 
there?"  ' 

"The  train  is  due  there  in  about  fifteen  min 
utes,  and  she  won't  stop  more'n  long  enough  to 
put  my  milk  cans  on  board.  I  jest  left  'em  there, 
and  got  these  empty  ones,"  explained  the  far 
mer,  pointing  to  the  cans  behind  him. 

"Fifteen  minutes !"  cried  Spud.  "And  how  far 
is  it  from  here?" 

"Nigh  on  to  three  miles." 

"Is  it  a  good  road?"  queried  Sam. 

"Pretty  fair.  It's  some  washed  out  on  the 
hills,  but  the  snow  has  covered  the  wo'st  of  the 
holes.  Want  to  ketch  that  feller?" 

"We  certainly  do.  That  horse  and  cutter  be 
longs  to  Mr.  Sanderson." 

"By  gum  I  You  don't  say!  Did  he  steal  the 
turnout?" 

"He  certainly  did,"  answered  Spud,  "and  near 
ly  killed  a  young  fellow  in  the  bargain." 

"Then  I  hope  you  ketch  'im,"  answered  the 
farmer,  and  stood  up  in  his  sled  to  watch  Sam 
and  Spud  as  they  sped  once  more  along  the  high 
way  leading  to  Dentonville. 

The  boys  had  a  long  hill  ahead,  and  before  the 
top  was  gained  the  horse  attached  to  the  cutter 
was  glad  enough  to  settle  down  to  a  walk.  But 


44     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

once  the  ridge  was  passed,  he  did  not  need  much 
urging,  and  flew  along  almost  as  rapidly  as  ever. 

"This  horse  must  have  been  in  the  stable  for 
quite  some  time,"  remarked  Spud.  "He  evident 
ly  enjoys  the  outing  thoroughly." 

"Listen  P  cried  Sam,  a  little  later.  "Isn't  that 
the  whistle  of  a  locomotive?" 

"It  sure  is,  Sam !  That  must  be  the  train  com 
ing  into  Dentonville !" 

They  were  passing  through  a  small  patch  of 
timber,  and  directly  beyond  were  the  cleared 
fields  and  the  buildings  of  a  tidy  farm.  As  the 
boys  came  out  of  the  woods  they  looked  over 
the  fields  in  the  direction  of  Dentonville  and  saw 
a  mixed  train,  composed  of  several  passenger 
coaches  and  a  string  of  freights,  entering  the 
station. 

"There  she  is!"  cried  Sam.  "Oh,  if  only  we 
can  get  there  before  she  leaves!" 

He  spoke  to  the  horse  and  did  what  he  could 
to  urge  the  steed  forward  at  a  greater  rate  of 
speed  than  ever.  Much  to  the  astonishment  of 
several  onlookers,  they  dashed  into  the  outskirts 
of  Dentonville  and  then  along  the  main  street 
leading  down  to  the  railroad  station. 

"Hi!  Stop!"  roared  a  voice  at  them,  just  as 
they  were  crossing  one  of  the  side  streets,  di 
rectly  in  front  of  a  s-lergh  and  two  wagons.  "Hi  I 


THE  CHASE  45 

Stop,  I  tell  you !  You  ain't  got  no  right  to  drive 
that  fast  here  in  town,"  and  a  blue-coated  po 
liceman,  one  of  the  four  of  which  the  place  boast 
ed,  shook  his  club  at  the  boys  and  ran  out  in  front 
of  their  cutter. 

"Say!  officer,  you  are  just  the  man  we  want," 
cried  Sam,  hurriedly.  "Come  on  with  us.  We 
want  to  have  a  man  arrested  down  at  the  depot 
before  he  has  a  chance  to  get  away  on  the  train." 

"What's  that?  Want  a  man  arrested?"  queried 
the  bluecoat.  "What  has  he  done?" 

"A  whole  lot  of  things,"  broke  in  Spud. 
"Jump  in;  we  haven't  any  time  to  explain  now 
< — that  train  may  pull  out  at  any  moment." 

"That's  so;  so  it  might,"  replied  the  officer; 
and  then,  as  Spud  made  room  for  him,  he  sprang 
into  the  cutter,  sitting  on  the  boy's  lap.  "But 
you  look  out  that  you  don't  kill  somebody,"  he 
added  to  Sam,  who  was  now  using  the  whip  light 
ly  to  urge  the  horse  to  greater  efforts. 

They  were  still  two  blocks  away  from  the 
railroad  station  when  there  came  a  whistle,  fol 
lowed  by  the  clanging  of  a  bell,  and  then  they 
saw  the  train  moving  away. 

"There  she  goes!"  groaned  Spud.  "But  she 
isn't  moving  very  fast." 

"Maybe  we  can  catch  her  yet,"  returned  Sam ; 
and  then  the  race  continued  as  before. 


CHAPTER   V 

AT    THE    RAILROAD    STATION" 

"SEE  anybody,  Sam?" 

"Nobody  that  looks  like  that  man,  Spud,  but 
there  is  Mr.  Sanderson's  horse  with  the  cutter." 

"Yes,  I  spotted  those  right  away.  Look  how 
the  poor  nag  is  heaving.  He  must  have  been 
driven  almost  to  death." 

"That  may  be.  Although  we  got  here  almost 
as  quickly  as  he  did.  But  he  may  have  been  used 
quite  some  before  this  trip,"  returned  Sam;  and 
this  surmise  was  correct. 

The  two  boys,  with  the  policeman,  had  done 
their  best  to  catch  the  departing  train  and  have 
it  stop,  but  without  avail.  When  they  had  reached 
the  depot  the  last  of  the  cars  was  well  down 
the  line,  and  soon  the  train  had  disappeared 
around  a  curve  of  the  roadbed. 

"What's  the  matter,  Ike?  What  are  you 
after?"  queried  the  freight  agent,  as  he  came  up 
to  the  policeman. 

46 


AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION  47 

"We  are  after  the  man  who  was  driving  that 
cutter  yonder,"  explained  Sam.  "Did  you  see 
him — a  big  fellow  with  a  heavy  overcoat  and 
with  a  fur  cap  pulled  down  over  his  fore 
head?" 

"Why  yes,  I  saw  that  fellow  get  aboard,"  an 
swered  the  freight  agent.  "I  was  wondering 
what  he  was  going  to  do  with  his  horse.  He 
didn't  even  stop  to  put  a  blanket  over  the  animal." 

"That  fellow  was  a  thief,"  explained  Sam.  "I 
wonder  if  we  can't  have  him  captured  in  some 
way?  What  is  the  next  station  the  train  will 
stop  at?" 

"Penton." 

"How  far  is  that  from  here?" 

"About  six  miles." 

"And  after  that?" 

"She'll  stop  at  Leadenfield,  which  is  about  six 
miles  farther." 

"Then  I'll  send  a  telegram  to  Penton  and  an 
other  to  Leadenfield  to  have  the  train  searched 
and  the  man  arrested  if  he  can  be  spotted,"  said 
Sam;  and  a  few  minutes  later  he  was  in  the 
telegraph  office  writing  out  the  messages.  He  de 
scribed  the  man  as  well  as  he  could,  but  realized 
that  his  efforts  were  rather  hopeless. 

"Maybe  Songbird  could  give  us  a  better  de 
scription,"  he  said  to  his  chum;  "but  as  Song- 


48      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

bird  isn't  here,  and  as  we  can't  get  him  on  the  tele 
phone,  we'll  have  to  do  the  best  we  can." 

The  policeman  was,  of  course,  anxious  to 
know  some  of  the  details  of  what  had  occurred, 
and  when  the  boys  told  him  that  their  college 
chum  had  been  knocked  senseless  and  robbed  of 
four  thousand  dollars  he  was  greatly  surprised. 

"It's  too  bad  you  didn't  get  here  before  the 
train  started,"  he  observed.  "If  you  had  we 
might  have  nabbed  that  rascal  and  maybe  got 
a  reward,"  and  he  smiled  grimly. 

"We  don't  want  any  reward.  We  simply 
want  to  get  that  four  thousand  dollars  back," 
returned  Sam.  "And  we  would  like  to  put  that 
fellow  in  prison  for  the  way  he  treated  our  col 
lege  chum." 

"What  will  you  do  with  the  horse  and  cutter?" 

"If  there  is  a  livery  stable  handy,  I  think  I'll 
put  the  horse  up  there,"  answered  Sam.  "He 
is  evidently  in  no  condition  to  be  driven  farther 
at  present.  I'll  notify  Mr.  Sanderson  about  it." 
And  so  it  was  arranged. 

A  little  while  later,  after  the  two  boys  had 
walked  around  to  the  police  station  with  the 
officer  and  given  such  particulars  as  they  were 
able  concerning  the  assault  and  robbery,  Sam 
and  Spud  started  on  the  return  to  the  Bray  farm 
house.  When  they  arrived  there,  they  found  that 


AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION  49 

Dr.  Havens  and  Dr.  Wallington  had  come  in 
some  time  before.  By  the  directions  of  the  head 
of  Brill  the  physician  from  Ashton  had  given 
Songbird  a  thorough  examination  and  had  treat 
ed  him  with  some  medicine  from  his  case. 

"The  cut  on  his  head  is  rather  a  deep  one/' 
said  the  doctor  to  the  boys,  "but  fortunately  it 
is  not  serious,  nor  will  there  be  any  bad  effects 
from  the  blow  on  his  chin.  He  can  thank  his 
stars  though  that  the  crack  on  his  head  did  not 
fracture  his  skull." 

"We  are  going  to  take  him  back  to  Brill  in  a 
large  sleigh,"  said  Dr.  Wallington,  "and  then 
I  think  the  best  he  can  do  will  be  to  go  to 
bed." 

"Oh,  I  can't  do  that !"  broke  in  Songbird,  who 
was  still  on  the  couch,  propped  up  by  pillows. 
"I've  got  to  get  to  Mr.  Sanderson's  and  explain 
how  the  thing  happened." 

"You  had  better  let  me  do  that,  Songbird," 
answered  Sam,  kindly.  "I  can  drive  over  there 
and  Spud  can  go  with  me.  You  just  let  us  know 
exactly  how  it  occurred."  This,  of  course,  was 
after  the  boys  had  related  the  particulars  of  their , 
failure  to  catch  the  fleeing  criminal  at  Dentdh- 
ville. 

"It  happened  so  quickly  that  I  hardly  realized 
what  was  taking  place,"  answered  the  would-be 


50     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

poet  of  Brill.  "I  was  driving  along  from  Knox- 
b«ry,  where  I  had  been  to  the  bank  for  Mr.  San 
derson,  when  I  came  to  the  spot  where  I  suppose 
you  found  me.  Just  as  I  reached  there  a  man  in 
a  heavy  overcoat,  and  with  a  thick  fur  cap  pulled 
over  his  face  so  that  I  could  hardly  see  him. 
stepped  in  front  of  the  cutter. 

"  'Say !  can  you  tell  me  where  these  people 
live?'  he  asked  me,  and  thrust  a  sheet  of  paper 
towards  me.  'I've  lost  my  eye-glasses,  and  I 
can't  see  to  read  without  them.' 

"I  took  the  paper  he  handed  out  and  started 
to  look  at  some  writing  on  it  which  was  very 
indistinct.  As  I  bent  over  the  paper  the  man 
swung  a  club  or  something  in  the  air  and  struck 
me  on  the  head.  Then,  as  I  tried  to  leap  up  and 
defend  myself,  he  hit  me  another  blow  on  the 
chin.  That  seemed  to  knock  me  clean  out  of 
the  cutter;  and  that  is  all  I  know  about  it." 

"Then  you  don't  know  where  that  fellow  came 
from?"  queried  Spud. 

"No  more  than  that  he  came  from  the  bushes 
beside  the  road."  Songbird  seemed  to  meditate 
for  a  moment.  "Now  I  come  to  think  of  it 
though,  maybe  that's  the  same  fellow  that 
watched  me  go  into  the  bank  at  Knoxbury  and 
get  the  money  for  Mr.  Sanderson !"  he  cried,  sud 
denly. 


AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION  51 

"It  was  a  very  unwise  move  on  Mr.  Sander 
son's  part  to  have  you  get  that  money  for  him 
in  cash,"  observed  Dr.  Wallington.  "I  do  not 
understand  why  he  could  not  have  transacted  his 
business  with  a  check,  especially  if  it  was  cer 
tified." 

"I  don't  know  much  about  that  part  of  it," 
answered  Songbird,  "excepting  he  told  me  that 
the  old  man  with  whom  he  was  doing  business 
was  something  of  a  crank  and  didn't  believe  in 
banks  or  checks,  and  said  he  wanted  nothing 
but  solid  cash.  It's  a  pity  now  that  Mr.  Sander 
son  didn't  use  a  check,"  and  Songbird  heaved  a 
deep  sigh. 

"But  what  did  you  just  say  about  a  man  watch 
ing  you  when  you  went  into  the  bank?"  ques 
tioned  Sam. 

"Oh,  I  noticed  that  fellow  hanging  around  the 
building  just  as  I  went  in,"  returned  Songbird. 
"He  was  asking  the  janitor  about  the  trains  out 
of  town,  and  the  reason  I  noticed  him  was  be 
cause  he  had  a  peculiar  stutter  and  whistle  when 
he  talked.  He  went  like  this,"  and  Songbird  imi 
tated  a  man  who  was  stuttering  badly,  ending  in 
a  faint  whistle. 

"Great  Scott !  A  fellow  ought  to  know  a  man 
who  talked  like  that  anywhere,"  was  Spud's  com 
ment.  "Should  be  able  to  pick  him  out  in  the 


52     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

dark,"  and  at  this  sally  even  Dr.  Wallington 
smiled  faintly. 

"Of  course  I'm  not  sure  that  that  man  had 
anything  to  do  with  it,"  went  on  Songbird.  "But 
he  was  the  only  fellow  around  who  seemed  to 
notice  me  when  I  got  the  money.  When  the 
bills  were  passed  over  to  me,  there  were  forty 
one-hundred-dollar  bills.  I  took  them  to  a  little 
side  stand,  to  place  them  in  a  wallet  Mr.  Sander 
son  had  lent  me,  and  then  I  wrapped  the  wallet 
in  a  piece  of  paper  with  a  stout  string  around 
it.  As  I  did  this  I  noticed  the  man  who  stut 
tered  and  whistled  peering  at  me  hungrily 
through  a  side  window  of  the  bank." 

"And  the  fellow  wore  a  heavy  overcoat  and 
a  fur  cap?"  questioned  Sam. 

"Yes,  I  am  sure  of  that." 

"Then  it  is  more  than  likely  he  was  the  guilty 
party,"  remarked  Spud. 

"But  hold  on  a  minute !"  broke  in  Sam.  "You 
got  the  money  at  Knoxbury,  and  this  attack  took 
place  on  the  road  above  here,  which  is  at  least 
seven  miles  from  that  place.  Now,  if  the  man 
who  did  the  deed  was  at  the  bank  when  you 
drew  the  money,  how  did  he  get  here  in  time  to 
hold  you  up?" 

"I  don't  know  about  that,  Sam;  but  I  didn't 
leave  Knoxbury  immediately  after  getting  the 


AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION  53 

money.  I  had  an  errand  to  do  for  Minnie.  She 
wanted  me  to  pick  out  a — er — a  necktie  for  my 
birthday,  and  I — well,  I  looked  around  two  or 
three  stores,  trying  to  find  something  nice  to 
take  back  to  her.  I  bought  two  books  of  poetry, 
but  I  don't  know  where  they  are  now." 

"We  found  them  on  the  road,  and  they  are 
out  in  the  cutter,"  answered  Sam.  "Spud,  you 
might  bring  them  in  and  give  them  to  Songbird." 

"The  errands  kept  me  in  town  for  about  half 
an  hour  after  I  was  at  the  bank,"  continued  the 
youth  who  had  been  attacked. 

"And  where  had  you  left  Mr.  Sanderson's 
cutter  in  the  meantime  ?" 

"Right  in  front  of  the  bank  building,  the  horse 
tied  to  a  post." 

"That  would  give  the  man  time  to  get  another 
turnout  in  which  to  follow  you,"  said  Sam. 

"But  if  he  did  that,  I  don't  see  how  he  got 
ahead  of  you." 

"Well,  maybe  he  didn't,  and  maybe  it  was 
some  one  else  who  did  the  deed,"  returned  Sam. 

"You  had  better  not  worry  your  head  too  much 
about  this  affair,  Mr.  Powell,"  said  Dr.  Havens. 
"That  crack  on  the  head  might  have  been  more 
serious,  but  at  the  same  time  you  ought  to  take 
care  of  yourself  for  a  day  or  two  at  least." 

"Then  you  don't  think  I  ought  to  go  to  Mr. 


54      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Sanderson's?"  queried  the  would-be  poet  of  the 
college. 

"Not  just  yet.  If  you  feel  stronger  you 
might  go  there  to-morrow,  or  the  day  after." 

"Then  will  you  go,  Sam,  and  try  to  explain 
matters?"  questioned  Songbird,  eagerly. 

"Of  course  I'll  go,  Songbird." 

"And  I'll  go  with  him,"  added  Spud. 

A  large  sleigh  had  been  brought  to  the  farm 
house  by  Dr.  Wallington,  and  Songbird  was 
placed  in  this  and  made  as  comfortable  as  pos 
sible  among  the  robes  and  blankets  which  it 
contained.  Mr.  Bray,  the  owner  of  the  farm, 
had  been  up  in  the  timber  bringing  down  some 
firewood,  and  now,  when  he  approached,  the 
others  saw  that  he  had  tied  behind  his  sled  an 
extra  horse. 

"Hello!  Where  did  that  horse  come  from?" 
cried  Sam.  "Is  it  yours?" 

"No,  'tain't  mine,"  said  Timothy  Bray.  "I 
found  it  up  in  the  woods  right  near  the  road 
yonder,"  and  he  pointed  with  his  hand  as  he 
spoke. 

"Found  that  horse  in  the  woods !"  cried  Spud. 
"Then  that  explains  it." 

"It  sure  does,"  returned  Sam. 

"Explains  what?"  demanded  Timothy  Bray. 
"What's  goin'  on  down  here  anyway?"  he  con- 


AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION  55 

tinued,  looking  at  his  wife  and  then  at  the  others. 

"Oh,  Timothy!  an  awful  thing  has  happened!" 
cried  Mrs.  Bray,  and  then  she  and  the  others 
gave  the  farmer  a  few  of  the  particulars.  He 
listened  with  mouth  wide  open,  and  then  looked 
at  the  horse  which  he  had  found. 

"I  guess  you  are  right !"  he  exclaimed.  "That 
feller  got  this  horse  in  Knoxbury.  It's  one  that 
belongs  to  Hoover,  the  livery  stable  man.  I 
know  him  on  account  of  this  brand  on  his  left 
flank.  It's  a  horse  Cy  Tamen  used  to  own  and 
swapped  for  a  bay  mare." 

"Then  I  think  that  explains  it,"  declared  Sam. 
"That  rascal  saw  Songbird  get  the  money,  and 
he  at  once  went  to  the  livery  stable  and  hired 
the  horse  and  followed  Songbird  to  the  spot 
where  the  attack  was  made.  More  than  likely 
he  passed  Songbird  on  the  road." 

"That's  just  what  he  did!"  cried  the  youth 
who  had  been  struck  down.  "I  remember  now! 
I  was  busy  composing  some  poetry  when  I  no 
ticed  a  fellow  on  horseback  go  past  me  and  dis 
appear  around  a  turn  in  the  road,  and  that  was 
just  a  few  minutes  before  that  fellow  came  up 
with  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  knocked  me  sense 
less." 

"I  believe  you  have  made  out  a  pretty  clear 
case,"  was  Dr.  Wallington's  comment.  "Now 


56  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

if  we  can  only  reach  that  man  who  stuttered 
and  whistled,  I  think  we  shall  have  the  culprit." 

"We  telephoned  ahead  from  Dentonville.  If 
they  can  only  locate  him  on  the  train  it  will  be 
all  right,"  answered  Sam.  "But  you  must  re 
member  we  didn't  have  very  much  of  a  descrip 
tion  to  go  by." 

"Yes,  and  that  fellow  may  be  fixed  to  change 
his  appearance  a  good  deal,"  added  Spud.  "A 
man  isn't  going  to  get  his  hands  on  four  thou 
sand  dollars  without  doing  all  he  possibly  can  to 
get  away  with  it,  especially  when  he  knows  that 
if  he  is  caught  he  will  be  sent  to  prison." 

"What  am  I  going  to  do  with  this  horse?" 
questioned  Timothy  Bray. 

"You  had  better  keep  that  animal  in  your  sta 
ble  until  the  livery  man  from  Knoxbury  calls 
for  him,"  answered  Dr.  Wallington. 

"He'll  have  to  pay  me  for  doing  it,"  was  Mr. 
Bray's  reply.  "Every  time  I  go  to  Knoxbury, 
Hoover  charges  me  an  outrageous  price  for  put 
ting  up  at  his  stable,  and  now  I  can  get  even 
with  him,"  and  he  chuckled  over  the  thought. 


CHAPTER   VI 


IT  was  just  about  supper  time  when  Sam,  ac 
companied  by  Spud,  drove  into  the  lane  beside 
the  Sanderson  farmhouse,  which  was  lit  up  from 
end  to  end. 

Evidently  Minnie  Sanderson,  the  pretty  daugh 
ter  of  the  farmer,  had  been  on  the  watch,  for 
as  they  approached  the  house  she  came  out  on 
a  side  piazza,  to  meet  them. 

"Why,  Songbird !  what  kept  you  so  long  ?"  she 
cried,  and  then  added:  "Who's  that  with  you?" 

"It  isn't  Songbird,  Minnie,"  answered  Sam, 
after  he  sprang  out  of  the  cutter,  followed  by 
Spud.  "We've  got  some  news  for  you." 

"Oh,  Sam  Rover!"  exclaimed  the  girl.  "And 
Will  Jackson!  Whatever  brought  you  here? 
Where  is  Songbird — do  you  know  anything 
about  him?" 

"Yes,  we  do;  and  that  is  what  brought  us 
here,"  answered  Sam. 

"Oh,  Sam!  you  don't  mean  that — that  some- 
57 


58  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

thing  has  happened  to  John?"  faltered  the  girl, 
aiming  pale. 

"Yes,  something  did  happen,  Minnie,  but  don't 
^e  alarmed — he  isn't  hurt  very  much.  Come  into 
ihe  house  and  we'll  tell  you  and  your  father  all 
about  it." 

"Hurt!  Oh,  are  you  sure  it  isn't  serious? 
Now  please  don't  hold  anything  back." 

"I'll  give  you  my  word,  Minnie,  it  isn't  seri 
ous.  The  doctor  said  he  would  be  as  well  as 
ever  in  a  few  days,  but  he  is  rather  knocked 
out,  and  the  doctor  said  he  had  better  not  try 
xo  come  here.  So  then  he  asked  Spud  and  me 
to  come." 

While  Sam  was  speaking  he  and  Spud  had  led 
the  girl  back  into  the  house.  She  was  very  much 
agitated  and  her  manner  showed  it. 

"But  what  was  it,  Sam?  Do  tell  me.  Did 
that  horse  run  away  with  him?  I  know  John 
isn't  much  of  a  driver,  and  when  he  gets  to  com 
posing  poetry  he  doesn't  notice  things  and  be 
comes  so  careless " 

"No,  Minnie,  it  was  not  that.  Where  is  your 
father?  We'll  go  to  him  and  then  we'll  tell  you. 
the  whole  story." 

"What's  this  I  hear?"  came  from  the  dining- 
room,  where  Mr.  Sanderson  rested  in  a  Morris 
chair,  with  his  sprained  ankle  perched  on  a  foot- 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOME  59 

stool.  "Where  is  John?  And  what  about  that 
money  he  was  to  get  for  me?" 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Sanderson,"  said  Sam, 
coming;  in  and  shaking  hands,  followed  by  Spud. 
"We've  got  some  bad  news  for  you,  but  please 
don't  blame  Songbird — I  mean  John — for  I  am 
sure  he  was  not  to  blame." 

"That's  right!"  broke  in  Spud.  "WTiat  hap 
pened  might  have  occurred  to  any  of  us.  I  think 
we  ought  to  be  thankful  that  Songbird — that's 
the  name  we  all  call  John,  you  know — wasn't 
killed." 

"Oh,  but  do  tell  me  what  did  happen !"  pleaded 
Minnie. 

"And  what  about  my  money — is  that  safe?" 
demanded  Mr.  Sanderson. 

"No,  Mr.  Sanderson.  I  am  sorry  to  say  the 
fellow  who  attacked  Songbird  got  away  with  it." 

"Gone!  My  four  thousand  dollars  gone!" 
ejaculated  the  farmer.  "Don't  tell  me  that.  I 
can't  afford  to  lose  any  such  amount.  Whyf 
it's  the  savings  of  years!"  and  his  face  showed 
his  intense  anxiety. 

"Oh,  so  John  was  attacked!  Who  did  it?  I, 
suppose  they  must  have  half  killed  the  poor  boy 
in  order  to  get  the  money  away  from  him/* 
wailed  Minnie. 

"We  might  as  well  tell  you  the  whole  story 


60  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

'from  beginning  to  end,"  answered  Sam,  and  then, 
after  he  and  Spud  had  taken  off  their  overcoats 
and  gloves,  both  plunged  into  all  the  details  of 
the  occurrence  as  they  knew  them. 

"And  he  was  hit  on  the  head  and  on  the  chin  f 
Oh,  how  dreadful!"  burst  out  Minnie.  "And 
are  you  positive,  Sam,  it  was  not  serious?" 

"That  is  what  Dr.  Havens  said,  and  he  made 
z.  close  examination  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Wal- 
lington." 

"He  ought  to  have  been  more  careful,"  said 
Mr.  Sanderson,  bitterly. 

"But.  Pa!  how  could  he  have  been?"  inter 
posed  the  daughter. 

"Oh,  in  lots  of  ways.  He  might  have  placed 
that  money  inside  of  his  shirt,"  answered  the 
father.  "It  don't  do  to  carry  four  thousand  dol 
lars  around  just  as  if  it  was — a — a — book  of 
poetry  or  something  like  that,"  he  added,  with  a 
touch  of  sarcasm. 

"Pa,  I  think  it's  real  mean  of  you  to  talk  that 
way!"  flared  up  Minnie.  "John  told  me  that 
he  didn't  much  like  the  idea  of  bringing  that 
four  thousand  dollars  in  cash  from  the  bank, 
but  he  undertook  the  errand  just  to  please 
you." 

"Humph !  Well,  I  was  foolish  to  send  him  on 
the  errand.  I  should  have  got  some  man  who 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOME  6l 

knew  how  to  take  care  of  sucfi  an  amount  of 
cash." 

"Mr.  Sanderson,  I  don't  think  it's  fair  for  you 
to  blame  Songbird,"  broke  in  Spud.  "He  did  the 
best  he  could,  and,  of  course,  he  had  no  idea  that 
he  was  going  to  be  attacked." 

"It's  all  well  enough  for  you  to  talk,  young 
man,"  broke  out  the  farmer,  angrily;  "it  wasn't 
your  four  thousand  dollars  that  was  stolen.  I 
wanted  that  money  to  pay  off  the  mortgage  on 
this  farm.  It's  due  to-morrow,  and  the  reason 
I  wanted  cash  was  because  old  Grisley  insisted 
on  cash  and  nothing  else.  He  lost  a  lot  of  money 
in  the  bank  years  ago,  and  that  soured  him,  so 
he  wouldn't  take  a  check  nohow.  Now  what  I'm 
going  to  do  if  I  can't  pay  that  mortgage,  I  don't 
know.  And  me  down  here  with  a  sprained  ankle, 
too!"  he  added  with  increasing  bitterness. 

"You'll  have  to  tell  Mr.  Grisley  to  wait  for 
his  money,"  said  Sam.  "When  he  learns  the  par 
ticulars  of  this  affair  he  ought  to  be  willing  to 
wait." 

"If  I  could  only  walk  I'd  get  on  the  trail  of 
that  thief  somehow,"  muttered  Mr.  Sanderson. 
"It's  a  shame  I've  got  to  sit  here  and  do  nothin' 
when  four  thousand  dollars  of  mine  is  floatin' 
away,  nobody  knows  where." 

"We  have  notified  the  police  and  sent  tele- 


62     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

grams  ahead,  just  as  I  told  you,"  answered  Sam. 
"I  don't  see  what  more  we  can  do  at  present. 
Songbird  was  attacked  so  suddenly  that  he  isn't 
sure  that  the  fellow  who  did  it  is  the  same  fel 
low  he  saw  around  the  Knoxbury  bank  or  not. 
But  if  he  is  the  same  fellow,  we  have  a  pretty 
fair  description  of  him,  and  sooner  or  later  the 
authorities  may  be  able  to  run  him  down." 

"Oh,  I  know  the  police!"  snorted  the  farmer. 
"They  ain't  worth  a  hill  of  beans." 

"Well,  Songbird  told  me  to  tell  you  that  if 
the  money  is  not  recovered,  he  will  do  all  he  can 
to  make  good  the  loss,"  continued  Sam. 

"Make  good  the  lose  ?  Has  he  got  four  thou 
sand  dollars?"  questioned  the  farmer,  curiously. 

"Oh,  no!  Songbird  isn't  as  wealthy  as  all 
that.  He  has  only  his  regular  allowance.  But 
he  said  he'd  work  and  earn  the  money,  if  he 
had  to." 

"Humph!  How  is  he  going  to  earn  it — writ 
ing  poetry?  They  don't  pay  much  for  that  kind 
of  writing,  to  my  way  of  thinking." 

"Now,  Pa,  please  don't  get  so  excited,"  soothed 
the  daughter.  "Let  us  be  thankful  that  John 
wasn't  killed.  If  he  had  been,  I  never  would 
have  forgiven  you  for  having  sent  him  on  that 
errand." 

"Oh,  now,  don't  you  pitch  into  me,  Minnie!" 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOME  63 

cried  the  father.  "I've  lost  my  four  thousand 
dollars  and  that's  bad  enough.  If  I  can't  pay 
that  mortgage,  Grisley  may  foreclose  and  then 
you  and  me  will  be  out  of  a  home." 

"Nothing  like  that  will  happen,  Mr.  Sander-1 
son,"  said  Sam. 

"I  don't  know  why." 

"The  mortgage  is  on  this  farm,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes." 

"Is  it  the  only  mortgage  you  have,  if  I  may 
ask?" 

"It  is." 

"And  what  do  you  consider  the  farm  worth?" 

"Well,  I  was  offered  eight  thousand  dollars  for 
it  last  year,  and  I  refused  to  sell." 

"Then  I  think  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  to 
arrange  to  have  the  mortgage  taken  up  by  some 
body  else.  Possibly  my  father  or  my  uncle  will 
do  it." 

"Will  they?"  demanded  Mr.  Sanderson, 
eagerly.  "Well,  of  course,  that  would  be  some 
help,  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  wouldn't  bring  my 
four  thousand  dollars  back,"  he  added  glumly. 

After  that  Minnie  demanded  to  know  more 
concerning  Songbird's  condition,  and  the  two 
youths  gave  her  every  possible  detail. 

"If  I  had  a  telephone  here  I  might  send  word 
to  Ashton  to  find  out  if  they  had  tracked  that 


64      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

rascal  yet,"  said  Mr.  Sanderson.  "But  they  asked 
so  much  money  to  put  a  telephone  in  over  here 
I  didn't  have  'em  do  it." 

"Where  is  the  nearest  telephone?"  questioned 
Spud. 

"Nothin'  closer  nor  the  railroad  station  at 
Busby's  Crossing." 

"That's  only  half  a  mile  away,"  put  in  Sam. 
"We  might  drive  over  there  now  and  see  if  there 
is  anything  new." 

"You  wait  until  you  have  had  your  supper," 
interposed  Minnie.  "It's  all  ready.  I  was  ex 
pecting  John,  you  know,"  and  she  blushed 
slightly. 

"But  if  your  father  is  anxious  to  get 
word "  began  the  Rover  boy. 

"Oh,  I  suppose  you  might  as  well  wait  and 
have  somethin'  to  eat  first,"  said  the  farmer. 
"That  will  give  the  authorities  time  to  do  some- 
thin',  if  they  are  goin'  to." 

In  the  expectation  of  having  Songbird  to  sup 
per,  Minnie,  with  the  aid  of  a  young  hired  girl, 
had  provided  quite  an  elaborate  meal,  to  which 
it  is  perhaps  needless  to  state  the  young  collegi 
ans  did  full  justice.  Then  the  youths  lost  no 
time  in  driving  off  in  the  cutter  to  Busby's  Cross 
ing,  where  they  were  lucky  enough  to  find  the 
station  agent  still  in  charge,  although  on  the 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOME  6$ 

point  of  locking  up,  for  no  more  trains  would 
stop  at  the  Crossing  that  night. 

The  boys  first  telephoned  to  the  college  and  to 
Ashton,  and  then  to  Dentonville  and  the  rail 
road  stations  up  the  line.  To  get  the  various 
connections  took  considerable  time,  and  to  get 
"information  that  was  no  information  at  all,"  as 
Spud  expressed  it,  took  much  longer  still.  The 
sum  total  of  it  was  that  no  one  had  been  able 
to  trace  the  man  in  the  heavy  overcoat  and  with 
the  heavy  fur  cap,  and  no  one  had  the  slightest 
idea  about  what  had  become  of  that  much- 
wanted  individual. 

"It's  going  to  be  like  looking  for  the  prover 
bial  pin  in  the  haystack,"  remarked  Spud. 

"It's  too  bad,"  returned  Sam,  gloomily.  "I 
did  think  we'd  have  some  sort  of  encouraging 
word  to  take  back  to  Mr.  Sanderson." 

"Say!  he's  pretty  bitter  over  the  loss  of  that 
money,  isn't  he,  Sam?" 

"You  can't  blame  him  for  that.  I'd  be  bit 
ter  too." 

"It  looks  to  me  as  if  he  might  make  Minnie 
break  with  Songbird  if  that  money  wasn't  re 
covered." 

"Possibly,  Spud.  Although  he  ought  to  know 
as  well  as  we  do  that  it  was  not  Songbird's 
fault." 


66 

"I'm  glad  to  see  Minnie  sticks  up  for  our 
chum,  aren't  you?" 

"Oh,  Minnie's  all  right  and  always  has  been. 
She  thinks  just  as  much  of  Songbird  as  he  does 
of  her.  Once  in  a  while  she  pokes  a  little  fun 
at  his  so-called  poetry,  but  Songbird  doesn't 
mind,  so  it  doesn't  matter." 

When  the  boys  returned  to  the  farmhouse 
Minnie  ran  out  to  meet  them,  and  from  their 
manner  saw  at  once  that  they  had  no  news  worth 
mentioning.  They  could  see  that  the  girl  had 
been  crying,  and  now  it  was  all  she  could  do  to 
keep  from  bursting  into  tears  again. 

"Oh,  Minnie,  you  ought  not  to  take  it  so  hard," 
said  Sam,  kindly.  "Of  course,  to  lose  four  thou 
sand  dollars  is  a  terrible  blow,  but  maybe  they'll 
get  the  money  back  some  way,  or  at  least  a  part 
of  it." 

"It  isn't  the  money,  Sam,"  cried  the  girl,  with 
something  like  a  catch  in  her  voice.  "It's  the 
way  papa  acts.  He  seems  to  think  it  was  all 
John's  fault.  Oh!  I  can't  bear  it!  I  know  I 
can't!"  she  suddenly  sobbed,  and  then  ran  away 
and  up  the  stairs  to  her  bedroom,  closing  the  door 
behind  her, 


CHAPTER  VII 

SAM   AND  GRACE 

"THIS  whole  affair  is  certainly  a  cough  propo 
sition,"  remarked  Sam,  when,  abotrc  half  an  hour 
later,  he  and  Spud  were  on  their  way  back  to 
Brill. 

The  time  had  been  spent  in  telling  Mr.  Sander 
son  how  they  had  failed  to  obtain  any  satisfac 
tion  over  the  telephone,  and  in  listening  to  the 
farmer's  tirade  against  poor  Songbird. 

"Old  Sanderson  certainly  pitched  into  Song 
bird,"  returned  Spud.  "I  declare  if  anybody 
called  me  down  that  way,  I  think  I'd  be  apt  to 
get  into  a  regular  fight  with  him." 

"He  is  very  much  excited,  Spud.  I  think  when 
he  cools  down  he  will  see  matters  in  a  different 
light.  Just  at  present  the  loss  of  the  four  thou 
sand  dollars  has  completely  upset  him." 

"I  suppose  he  pitched  into  Minnie  even  more 
than  he  pitched  into  us." 

"Maybe  he  did.  I  must  say  I  am  mighty  sorry 
for  that  poor  girl." 

67 


68      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"What  are  you  going  to  tell  Songbird  ?" 

"I  suppose  we'll  have  to  tell  him  the  truth, 
Spud,  although  we'll  have  to  smooth  over  Mr. 
Sanderson's  manner  as  much  as  we  can.  There's 
no  use  in  hurting  Songbird's  feelings,  especially 
now  when  he's  broken  up  physically  as  well  as 
mentally." 

When  they  reached  the  college  they  found 
that  Songbird  had  insisted  upon  it  that  he  be 
1aken  to  the  room  he  occupied  with  Sam  instead 
of  to  the  sick  ward.  He  was  in  bed,  but  wide 
awake  and  anxious  to  hear  all  they  might  have 
to  say. 

"Of  course  I  knew  Mr.  Sanderson  would 
blame  me,"  he  said,  after  asking  a  great  number 
of  questions.  "Four  thousand  dollars  is  a  heap 
of  money."  He  knitted  his  brows  for  a  moment, 
and  then  cast  an  anxious  glance  at  Sam.  "How 
did  Minnie  really  seem  to  take  it  ?"  he  continued. 

"She  sided  with  you,  Songbird,  when  her 
father  talked  against  you,"  answered  Sam. 

"She  did,  did  she?  Good  for  her!"  and  Song 
bird's  face  lit  up  for  an  instant.  "She's  true 
blue,  that  girl  is !" 

"Now,  the  best  thing  I  think  you  can  do  is  to 
try  to  go  to  sleep  and  get  a  good  night's  rest," 
went  on  Sam.  "This  worrying  about  what  can't 
be  helped  won't  do  you  any  good." 


SAM  AND  GRACE  69 

"Yes,  but,  Sam,  what  am  I  going  to  do  if  that 
money  isn't  gotten  back?  The  Sandersons  can't 
afford  to  lose  it,  and  even  if  I  went  to  work  right 
away,  it  would  take  me  a  long,  long  time  to  earn 
four  thousand  dollars." 

"I  have  been  thinking  that  over,  Songbird,  and 
as  the  money  was  to  be  used  in  paying  off  a  mort 
gage,  I  think  I  can  arrange  the  matter,  providing 
the  holder  of  the  present  mortgage  won't  extend 
the  time  for  it.  I  think  I  can  get  my  father  or 
my  uncle  to  take  the  mortgage." 

"Very  good,  Sam,  so  far  as  it  goes.  But  that 
wouldn't  be  getting  the  money  back.  If  it  isn't 
recovered,  I'll  feel  that  I  am  under  a  moral  obli 
gation  to  earn  it  somehow  and  give  it  to  Mr. 
Sanderson." 

"We'll  talk  about  it  later.  Now  you've  got 
to  go  to  sleep,"  were  Sam's  concluding  words, 
and  after  that  he  refused  to  say  any  more.  He 
undressed  and  threw  himself  on  his  bed,  and 
was  soon  asleep.  But  poor  Songbird  turned  and 
twisted,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  his  eyes  closed  until 
'well  along  in  the  early  morning  hours. 

On  the  following  day  Sam  had  several  classes 
to  attend,  as  well  as  to  work  on  a  theme ;  but  as 
soon  as  these  tasks  were  over  he  obtained  per 
mission  to  leave  the  college  to  find  out,  if  pos 
sible,  if  anything  had  been  done  in  the  matter  of 


70     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

the  robbery.  He  visited  Ashton  and  had  an  in 
terview  with  the  police,  and  then  used  the  tele 
phone  in  several  directions.  But  it  was  all  of 
no  avail;  nothing  whatever  had  been  seen  or 
heard  of  the  rascal  who  had  made  the  attack 
upon  Songbird. 

"I'm  afraid  it  will  be  one  of  those  mysteries 
which  will  never  be  explained,"  mused  the  young 
est  Rover  boy,  as  he  jumped  into  the  cutter 
which  he  was  using  and  drove  away  from  Ash- 
ton.  "It's  too  bad!  Oh!  how  I'd  like  to  get 
my  hands  on  that  rascal,  whoever  he  may  be!" 

It  was  not  until  two  days  later,  when  Songbird 
was  once  more  able  to  be  about  and  had  insisted 
on  being  driven  over  to  the  Sanderson  place, 
that  Sam  had  a  chance  to  go  on  the  sleighride 
with  Grace  Laning.  He  drove  over  to  Hope 
Seminary  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
having  sent  word  ahead  that  he  was  coming. 
Grace  was  waiting  for  him,  and  the  pair  speedily 
drove  away,  wistfully  watched  by  a  number  of 
the  girl  students. 

"It's  so  nice  of  you  to  think  of  me,  Sam,  when 
you've  got  so  much  to  think  about  on  poor  Song 
bird's  account,"  said  Grace,  as  they  were  speed 
ing  out  of  the  seminary  grounds.  "How  is  he?" 

"Oh,  he's  doing  better  than  we  expected,  Grace. 
He  insisted  on  being  driven  over  to  the  San- 


SAM  AND  GRACE  71 

dersons  this  afternoon.  Stanley  took  him  over, 
because  none  of  us  thought  Songbird  was  strong 
enough  to  drive  himself." 

"I  want  you  to  give  me  all  the  particulars  of 
the  attack,"  said  the  girl,  and  this  the  youth  did 
readily. 

"It  must  have  been  the  man  who  stuttered  and 
whistled — the  fellow  Songbird  saw  at  the 
Knoxbury  bank,"  declared  the  girl,  positively. 
"Wouldn't  it  pay  to  get  a  detective  on  his  track  ?" 

"Perhaps  so,  Grace.  I  think  Songbird  is  going 
to  mention  that  to  Mr.  Sanderson." 

Sam  did  not  want  the  girl  to  worry  too  much 
over  what  had  occurred  and  so  soon  changed  the 
subject.  They  talked  about  college  and  seminary 
matters,  and  then  about  affairs  at  home,  and 
about  matters  in  New  York  City. 

"I  just  got  another  letter  from  Nellie  to-day," 
said  Grace.  "She  says  that  the  apartment  she 
and  Tom  have  rented  is  perfectly  lovely — every 
bit  as  nice  as  the  one  occupied  by  Dick  and 
Dora." 

"I'm  glad  they  like  it,  Grace.  But,  believe  me, 
it  will  be  some  job  for  Tom  to  settle  down  and 
be  a  staid  married  man !  He  was  always  so  full 
of  fun." 

"Why,  the  idea,  Sam  Rover!  Don't  you  think 
a  man  can  be  married  and  still  keep  full  of  fun  ?" 


72      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Well,  maybe,  if  he  got  such  a  nice  girl  as 
Nellie.  Just  the  same,  I'll  wager  Tom  sometimes 
wishes  he  was  back  in  good  old  Brill." 

"Indeed!  And  do  you  think  you'll  wish  you 
were  back  at  Brill  if  ever  you  get  married?"  she 
asked  slyly. 

"Oh,  I  didn't  say  anything  about  that,  Grace- 
I— I " 

"Well,  it's  just  about  the  same  thing,"  and 
Grace  tossed  her  pretty  face  a  trifle. 

"Oh,  now  look  here,  Grace !  You  haven't  any 
call  to  talk  that  way.  I  suppose  when  I  get 
married  I'll  be  just  as  happy  as  Dick  or  Tom. 
That  is,  providing  I  get  the  right  girl,"  and  he 
gazed  at  the  face  beside  him  very  ardently. 

"Sam  Rover,  you  had  better  watch  where  you 
are  driving,  unless  you  want  to  run  us  into  the 
rocks  and  bushes,"  cried  the  girl,  suddenly.  For, 
forgetting  the  steed  for  a  moment,  Sam  had  al 
lowed  the  horse  to  turn  to  one  side  of  the  some 
what  rough  highway. 

"I'll  attend  to  the  horse,  never  fear,"  he  an 
swered.  "I  never  yet  saw  the  horse  that  I 
couldn't  manage.  But  speaking  of  letters,  Grace, 
I  had  one  from  Dick  day  before  yesterday  and 
he  made  a  suggestion  that  pleased  me  very 
much/' 

"What  was  that?" 


SAM  AND  GRACE  73 

"He  suggested  that  if  I  graduate  from  Brill 
this  coming  June,  as  I  expect  to  do,  that  we  make 
tip  a  party  to  occupy  two  or  three  automobiles 
and  go  off  on  a  regular  tour  this  summer,  taking 
in  the  Middle  West  and  maybe  some  other 
points." 

"Oh,  Sam,  how  grand  I  Of  course  he  was  go 
ing  to  take  Dora  along?" 

"Yes.  His  idea  was  that  if  matters  could  be 
arranged  at  the  offices  in  New  York,  that  he  and 
Dora,  as  well  as  Tom  and  Nellie,  would  go  along 
and  that  we  would:  go  too,  along  with  some  others 
— say  enough  to  make  at  least  two  automobile 
loads." 

"Oh,  I'd  love  an  auto  tour  like  that !  Couldn't 
we  have  just  the  best  times  ever?"  and  Grace's 
pretty  eyes  sparkled  in  anticipation. 

"When  I  got  the  letter  I  thought  the  same,  and 
I  also  thought  we  might  ask  Songbird  and  Min- 
nie — Dora  and  Nellie  could  chaperon  her,  you 
know.  But  now  I  don't  know  what  we'll  do 
about  them.  Most  likely  Songbird  wouldn't  feel 
'like  going  if  that  money  wasn't  recovered,  and 
more  than  likely  Mr.  Sanderson  wouldn't  let 
Minnie  go." 

"Oh,  dear!  I  suppose  the  loss  of  that  money 
will  hang  over  Songbird  like  a  big  cloud  for 
ever,"  pouted  the  girl.  "It's  too  badl  I  don't 


74      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

see  why  Mr.  Sanderson  couldn't  have  paid  that 
mortgage  with  a  check." 

"Just  exactly  what  we  all  say  now,  Grace.  But 
that  doesn't  do  any  good." 

"Are  you  sure  you  are  going  to  graduate, 
Sam?" 

"I  certainly  hope  so.  I  am  going  to  try  my 
best  not  only  to  graduate,  Grace,  but  to  get  as 
close  to  the  top  of  the  class  as  possible.  Dick 
and  Tom  had  to  leave  before  they  had  a  chance 
to  graduate,  so  I  want  to  make  a  good  showing 
for  the  Rover  family." 

"It's  the  same  with  me,  Sam.  Nellie  left  to 
get  married,  and  so  did  Cousin  Dora,  so  I've  got 
to  do  the  best  I  can  for  our  family  next  June." 

"Then  you  hope  to  get  through  too?" 

"Of  course." 

"How  are  the  teachers  treating  you  these  days  ? 
Have  you  had  any  more  trouble  with  Miss  Har 
row,  or  the  others?" 

"Not  the  least  bit.  They  are  all  perfectly  love 
ly,  and  Miss  Harrow  is  so  sorry  that  she  ever 
thought  Nellie  had  taken  that  diamond  ring." 

"Well,  she  ought  to  feel  sorry,"  responded 
Sam.  "It  certainly  put  Nellie  to  a  lot  of  trouble. 
Did  that  gardener  who  put  the  diamond  ring  in 
the  inkwell  ever  come  back  to  work  at  the  sem 
inary  ?" 


SAM  AND  GRACE  75 

"Andy  Royce?  Yes,  he  is  working  there.  I 
have  seen  him  several  times.  He  is  quite  a 
changed  man,  and  I  don't  think  he  drinks  at  all." 

"Well,  that's  one  good  job  done,  Grace.  That 
man's  worst  enemy  was  liqttor." 

Sam  had  arranged  that  they  might  remain  out 
until  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  and  so  drove 
Grace  over  to  Knoxbury,  where  they  went  to 
quite  a  fashionable  restaurant  for  dinner.  Here 
they  met  several  young  men  and  girls  they  knew, 
and  all  had  a  most  delightful  time  during  the 
repast. 

When  Sam  went  outside  to  get  his  horse  and 
cutter,  which  had  been  placed  in  a  livery  stable 
near  by,  he  was  surprised  to  encounter  the  very 
man  he  had  mentioned  but  a  short  while  before, 
Andy  Royce,  the  gardener  who  had  once  been 
discharged  from  Hope  Seminary  for  not  attend 
ing  properly  to  his  duties  and  who,  through  the 
intercession  of  the  Rovers  and  the  Lanings,  had 
been  reinstated  in  his  position. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Rover,"  said  Andy  Royce, 
respectfully,  as  he  touched  the  cap  he  wore. 

"Hello,  Royce!  WTiat  are  you  doing  here?** 
asked  the  youth. 

"Oh,  I  just  drove  over  to  Knoxbury  to  get 
some  things  for  the  seminary,"  replied  Royce; 
and  then  stepping  closer  he  added  in  a  lower  tone : 


76  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"I  saw  you  going  into  Meeker's  restaurant  a 
while  ago  and  I  stayed  here  to  see  you  when 
you  came  out.  I'd  like  to  talk  to  you  a  bit." 

"All  right.  What  have  you  to  say?"  returned 
Sam,  briskly.  "I  haven't  got  much  time  to 
waste." 

"I  wanted  to  ask  you  about  the  young  fellow 
who  was  knocked  down  and  robbed  the  other 
afternoon,"  went  on  Andy  Royce,  as  the  two 
walked  away,  out  of  the  hearing  of  the  others 
in  the  livery  stable.  "Somebody  told  me  that  the 
fellow  who  was  robbed  said  a  man  did  it  who 
stuttered  and  whistled." 

"Well,  we  rather  think  that  man  did  it,  but 
we  are  not  certain,"  answered  Sam.  He  glanced 
sharply  at  the  gardener.  "Do  you  know  anything 
of  that  fellow?" 

"I  think  I  do,  Mr.  Rover.  You  see  it's  this 
way :  Several  years  ago  I  used  to  live  out  West, 
in  Denver  and  Colorado  Springs,  and  I  used  to 
know  a  man  out  there  who  went  by  the  name  of 
Blackie  Crowden.  He  used  to  stutter  fearfully 
and  had  a  funny  little  whistle  with  it." 

"Out  in  Denver,  you  say  ?  That's  a  long  way 
from  here." 

"I  know  it  is,  sir,  but  after  I  left  I  heard  that 
this  Blackie  Crowden  had  come  to  Center  Haven, 
and  that's  only  twenty  miles  from  here.  And 


SAM  AND  GRACE  77 

that  ain't  all,"  continued  Andy  Royce,  earnestly. 
"I  was  in  this  town  about  a  week  ago  and  I 
am  almost  certain  I  saw  this  same  Blackie  Crow- 
den  on  the  street.  I  tried  to  reach  him  so  as  to 
speak  to  him,  but  he  got  away  from  me  in  a 
crowd  that  had  come  up  to  see  a  runaway." 

"This  is  interesting,"  returned  Sam.  "Tell  me 
how  this  Blackie  Crowden  looks,"  he  went  on. 
And  then  as  Andy  Royce  described  the  individ 
ual  he  added  slowly:  "That  seems  to  tally  with 
the  description  Songbird  gave  of  the  fellow  who 
looked  at  him  through  the  bank  window  when 
he  was  placing  the  money  away.  More  than 
likely  that  fellow  was  that  same  Blackie  Crow- 
den." 

"Well,  if  it  was  Blackie  Crowden,  why  don't 
you  have  him  locked  up?"  queried  the  gardener. 

"Perhaps  I  will,  providing  he  is  still  in  Center 
Haven,"  answered  Sam. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SOMETHING   ABOUT    BLACKIE    CROWDEN 

WHEN  Sam  returned  to  Brill  late  that  evening, 
after  having  spent  a  most  delightful  time  with 
Grace,  he  found  that  Songbird  had  returned  from 
the  Sandersons'  homestead  some  time  before. 
The  would-be  poet  of  the  college  was  working 
hard  over  some  of  his  lessons,  and  it  was  plainly 
to  be  seen  that  he  was  in  anything  but  a  good 
humor. 

"Sanderson  treated  me  like  a  dog — like  a  regu 
lar  dog!"  he  burst  out,  in  reply  to  Sam's  ques 
tion.  "Why !  to  hear  him  talk  you  would  almost 
think  I  was  in  league  with  the  fellow  who  at 
tacked  me !" 

"It's  too  bad,  Songbird ;  but  you  shouldn't  take 
it  so  much  to  heart.  Remember,  Mr.  Sanderson 
is  a  very  hard-working  man  and  one  who  has 
probably  never  allowed  another  fellow  to  get  the 
best  of  him  in  any  kind  of  a  deal.  The  amount 
that  was  lost  represents  probably  the  savings  of 
a  good  many  years,  and  to  lose  it  so  suddenly 

78 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  BLACKIE  CROWDEN     79 

and  in  such  an  underhanded  way  has  completely 
upset  him.  When  he  has  had  time  to  think  it 
over  calmly  he'll  probably  see  that  you  were  not 
to  blame." 

"I  don't  think  so — he's  not  that  kind  of  man, 
Sam.  He  was  very  bitter  and  he  told  Minnie 
that  she  wasn't  to  see  me  any  more.  Minnie 
was  dreadfully  upset,  of  course,  and  she  rushed 
off  to  her  room,  so  I  didn't  have  any  chance  to 
say  good-bye  to  her." 

"As  bad  as  that,  eh?  Well,  you  can  write  her 
a  letter  anyway." 

"So  I  can;  but  maybe  her  father  will  see  to 
it  that  she  never  gets  it,"  responded  the  smitten 
youth,  gloomily. 

"I've  got  a  little  news  that  may  prove  encour 
aging,"  pursued  Sam  after  a  slight  pause;  and 
then  he  related  the  particulars  of  his  meeting 
with  Andy  Royce,  and  what  the  Hope  gardener 
had  said  regarding  Blackie  Crowden. 

"Say!  that's  great!"  burst  out  the  would-be 
poet.  "If  I  could  see  this  Crowden  I'd  know  at 
once  if  he  was  the  man  who  watched  me  when 
I  was  at  the  Knoxbury  bank,  and  if  it  was  it 
would  certainly  pay  to  put  the  authorities  on  his 
trail." 

"I  was  thinking  the  same,  Songbird.  I  won 
der  if  we  couldn't  get  permission  from  Dr.  Wai- 


8o      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

lington  to  drive  over  to  Center  Haven  to-morrow 
and  find  out  what  we  can  about  this  Blackie 
Crowden  ?** 

wOh,  he'll  have  to  give  us  permission — at  least 
hell  have  to  let  me  go,"  returned  Songbird.  "I 
can't  settle  down  to  any  lessons  until  something 
is  done,  one  way  or  another.  Here  I  am,  trying 
to  study,  and  I  hardly  know  a  word  of  what 
I'm  reading." 

"Let  us  go  to  the  doctor  at  once  if  he  is  still 
up  and  ask  him,"  said  Sam. 

Permission  to  leave  the  college  was  readily 
granted  by  Dr.  Wallington,  who,  however,  cau 
tioned  Songbird  about  overexerting  himself 
while  he  was  still  suffering  from  the  attack  that 
had  been  made  upon  him. 

"I'll  depend  upon  you,  Rover,  to  look  after 
him,"  said  the  head  of  Brill,  kindly.  "And  let 
me  add,  I  wish  you  every  success  in  your  search 
for  the  offender.  I  certainly  would  like  to  see 
you  get  Mr.  Sanderson's  money  back." 

The  two  young  collegians  had  breakfast  as 
early  as  possible,  and  by  eight  o'clock  were  on 
their  way  to  Center  Haven  in  the  automobile 
belonging  to  the  Rovers,  and  which  had  now 
been  left  in  Sam's  care.  Heavy  chains  had  been 
put  on  the  wheels  so  that  the  automobile  made 
its  way  over  the  snowy  roads  without  much  v/ou- 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  BLACKIE  CROWDEN    8l 

ble.  Of  course  in  some  spots  where  the  frozen 
highway  was  uneven,  the  boys  got  some  pretty 
hard  bumps,  but  this  they  did  not  mind,  their 
one  thought  being  to  get  to  Center  Haven  as 
soon  as  possible  and  learn  all  they  could  concern 
ing  Blackie  Crowden  and  his  doings. 

Center  Haven  was  a  town  about  the  size  of 
Knoxbury,  and  among  other  things  boasted  of  a 
large  hotel  which  was  generally  well  patronized 
during  the  summer  months.  Andy  Royce  had 
said  that  Crowden  had  been  seen  at  this  hotel 
and  probably  had  some  sort  of  position  there. 
When  the  boys  arrived  there  they  found  that  the 
main  building  of  the  hotel  was  completely  closed. 
The  only  portion  that  was  open  was  a  small 
wing  with  an  equally  small  dining  room  used 
for  the  accommodations  of  the  few  transients 
who  came  to  Center  Haven  during  the  winter 
months. 

"'We  came  here  to  find  a  man  named  Blackie 
Crowden,"  said  Sam  to  the  proprietor  of  the 
hotel,  who  came  forward  to  meet  them  when 
they  entered.  "Can  you  tell  me  anything  about 
him?" 

"You  won't  find  him  here,"  returned  the  hotel 
man,  brusquely.  "I  discharged  him  two  weeks 
ago." 

"Discharged  him?"  queried  Songbird,  and  his 


82 

tone  showed  his  disappointment.  "Any  trouble 
with  him?" 

"Oh,  yes,  lots  of  trouble.  Are  you  friends  of 
his?" 

"We  certainly  are  not,"  answered  Sam.  "But 
we'd  like  to  find  out  something  about  him." 

"I'm  giad  you  are  not  friends  of  his,"  contin 
ued  the  hotelkeeper.  "I  feel  very  sore  over  that 
man.  I  took  him  in  and  gave  him  a  good  job, 
and  paid  him  a  good  deal  more  than  he  was 
worth.  But  he  wouldn't  work — in  fact  he  was 
the  laziest  man  I  ever  saw — and  so  I  had  to  dis 
charge  him.  I  paid  him  all  that  was  coming  to 
him,  and  when  he  got  out  he  was  mean  enough 
to  sneak  off  with  some  of  my  clothing,  and  also 
a  pair  of  my  gloves  and  my  rubbers.  If  I  could 
lay  my  hands  on  him,  I'd  be  strongly  tempted 
to  hand  him  over  to  the  police." 

"Did  he  take  an  overcoat  of  yours  and  a  fur 
cap?"  demanded  Songbird,  quickly. 

"He  certainty  did.  A  heavy,  dark-gray  over 
coat  and  one  of  these  fur  caps  that  you  can  pull 
down  over  your  ears  and  over  the  back  of  the 
head." 

"He  must  have  been  the  same  fellow,"  re 
marked  Sam.  "And  the  fact  that  he  robbed  this 
man  here  goes  to  prove  what  sort  of  rascal  he 
really  is." 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  BLACKIE  CROWDEN    83 

"Did  he  steal  anything  from  you  people?" 
asked  the  hotelkeeper,  curiously. 

"I  think  he  did,"  answered  Songbird.  "Did 
you  hear  anything  of  the  attack  that  took  place 
a  few  days  ago  on  the  road  near  Ashton,  in 
which  a  young  fellow  was  robbed  of  four  thou 
sand  dollars  in  cash?" 

"Oh,  yes,  I  heard  about  that  from  the  police 
captain  here." 

"Well,  I  am  the  fellow  who  was  robbed,"  con 
tinued  Songbird.  "And  I'm  strongly  inclined  to 
think  now  that  it  was  this  Blackie  Crowden  who 
was  guilty — in  fact  I  am  almost  certain  of  it. 
When  I  was  at  the  Knoxbury  bank  getting  the 
money  and  putting  it  away  in  my  pocket  I  saw 
a  man  watching  through  a  window  of  the  bank. 
He  had  on  a  dark-gray  overcoat  and  a  fur  cap 
pulled  far  down  over  his  face.  Then,  later  on, 
just  after  I  was  attacked,  my  friend  here  with 
a  chum  of  ours  came  driving  along  and  saw  this 
same  man  with  the  heavy  overcoat  and  the  fur 
cap  drive  off  with  the  horse  and  cutter  that  I 
had  had — and  he  was  the  same  fellow  who  had 
knocked  me  senseless." 

"Is  that  so !  Well,  I  think  you've  hit  the  nail 
on  the  head,  and  if  you  catch  this  Blackie  Crow- 
den  you'll  have  the  right  fellow.  Anybody  who 
would  run  off  with  my  things  as  he  did  after  he 


84  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

had  been  treated  as  well  as  I  treated  him  wouldn't 
be  above  committing  such  a  crime.  But  the 
question  is,  where  did  he  go?  Have  you  any 
idea?" 

"We  know  he  got  on  the  train  at  Dentonville," 
said  Sam.  "That's  as  far  as  we've  been  able 
to  trace  him  so  far.  But  now  that  we  know  that 
this  criminal  is  Blackie  Crowden,  maybe  the  au 
thorities  will  be  able  to  run  him  down  sooner  or 
later." 

"This  Crowden  was  very  friendly  with  one  or 
two  of  the  men  around  the  stables,"  went  on  the 
hotelkeeper.  "Maybe  you  can  find  out  something 
about  him  from  them." 

"A  good  idea !"  answered  Songbird.  "We'll  see 
what  they  have  to  say." 

The  hotel  man  took  the  two  youths  to  the 
stables,  and  there  they  talked  with  several  men 
present  who  had  known  Crowden.  From  these 
they  learned  that  the  man  had  been  very  much 
dissatisfied  with  the  work  assigned  to  him,  and 
had  frequently  spoken  about  the  good  times  to 
be  had  in  such  large  cities  as  New  York,  Chicago 
and  Denver. 

"He  said  he  thought  he  would  go  back  to  New 
York  first,"  said  one  of  the  stable  men,  "and  then 
he  thought  he  would  go  on  to  Chicago  and  after 
that  visit  some  of  his  old  places  and  cronies  in 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  'BLACKIE  CROWDEN     85 

Denver.  But,  of  course,  where  he  really  did  go 
to  I  haven't  the  least  idea." 

"What  you  say  is  something  of  a  clue  any 
way,"  returned  Sam.  "Now  if  we  only  had  a 
photograph  of  this  Crowden,  it  might  help  the 
police  a  great  deal." 

"We've  got  a  picture  of  him,"  said  one  of  the 
men  present.  "It  was  taken  by  one  of  the  visi 
tors  at  the  hotel  this  fall.  He  came  out  here  to 
take  a  picture  of  some  of  the  horses  and  we 
helped  him,  so  all  of  us  got  into  the  picture, 
Crowden  with  the  rest.  I'll  get  it,"  he  added, 
and  disappeared  in  the  direction  of  his  sleeping 
quarters. 

The  photograph  was  a  fairly  large  one,  show 
ing  three  men  and  as  many  horses.  The  man  in 
the  center  was  Blackie  Crowden,  and  the  stable 
man  and  the  hotelkeeper  declared  that  it  was  an 
excellent  photograph  of  that  individual 

"Will  you  let  us  have  this  photograph?"  asked 
Songbird.  "I  would  like  to  have  that  picture  of 
Crowden  enlarged,  and  then  you  can  have  it 
back." 

"Sure  you  can  have  it,"  answered  the  stable 
man.  "As  that  fellow  is  a  thief,'  you  might  as 
well  tear  that  picture  up  afterward,  because  I 
don't  want  to  be  in  no  photograph  with  a  crim 
inal,"  and  he  grinned  sheepishly. 


36  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"All  right  then,  I  won't  take  the  trouble  to 
return  it,"  answered  Songbird.  "Suppose  you 
accept  this  dollar  for  it,"  and  he  passed  over  a 
banknote,  which  the  stable  man  took  with  thanks. 
A  little  later  the  two  youths  started  on  the  return 
to  Ashton. 

"Well,  that's  one  step  nearer  the  solution  of 
this  mystery,"  announced  Sam.  "Now  I  think 
we  had  better  stop  at  Knoxbury  and  find  out 
about  that  horse  which  belonged  to  Hoover,  the 
livery  stable  man." 

They  reached  the  banking  town  about  noon, 
and  went  directly  to  the  livery  stable.  As  they 
did  so  a  man  in  a  cutter  drove  in,  leading  a  horse 
behind  him. 

"There  is  the  horse  now!"  cried  Sam.  *He 
must  have  just  gotten  the  animal  back  from 
Mr.  Bray." 

"Are  you  Mr.  Hoover?"  questioned  Songbird 
of  the  man  in  the  cutter,  as  he  came  to  a  halt 
near  them. 

"That's  my  handle,  young  man.  What  can 
I  do  for  you?" 

"I  would  like  to  know  something  about  that 
horse,  and  who  hired  him  from  you;"  and  then 
he  introduced  himself  and  Sam. 

"I  don't  know  who  got  the  animal,"  answered 
Mr.  Hoover.  "I  was  away  at  the  time,  and  a 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  BLACKIE  CROW  DEN    87^ 

stable  boy  let  him  out.  He  declares  the  fellow 
said  he  was  a  friend  of  mine,  and  that  it  would 
be  all  right." 

"And  was  the  fellow  dressed  in  a  heavy,  gray 
overcoat  and  a  heavy  fur  cap?"  asked  Sam. 

"Yes,  that  was  the  description  the  stable  boy 
gave.  When  he  found  I  didn't  know  anything 
about  the  man  he  was  scared  to  death,  because 
I  told  him  that  if  the  horse  didn't  come  back 
I'd  make  him  pay  for  the  animal." 

"Then  that's  all  we  want  to  know,  Mr. 
Hoover,"  answered  Songbird.  "I'm  pretty  sure 
now  I  know  who  it  was  that  knocked  me  down 
and  robbed  me." 

"He  was  a  rascal,  all  right,"  answered  the  liv 
ery  stable  man.  "I  had  to  pay  old  Bray  four 
dollars  to  get  my  own  horse  back,"  he  added, 
sulkily. 

As  the  long  ride  in  the  open  air  had  made 
them  hungry,  the  two  youths  went  to  the  res 
taurant  in  Knoxbury  for  dinner.  Then  the  auto 
mobile  was  turned  once  more  in  the  direction 
of  Ashton. 

"I'll  have  that  photograph  enlarged  by  Cling- 
er,"  said  Songbird,  referring  to  a  photographer 
in  the  town  who  did  a  great  deal  of  work  for  the 
Brill  and  Hope  students.  "Then  I'll  have  copies 
sent  to  the  various  police  stations,  even  to  New 


88      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

York,  Chicago  and  Denver,  along  with  a  descrip 
tion  of  Blackie  Crowden." 

"That's  the  talk,  Songbird.  Oh,  I  am  sure 
we'll  get  on  his  trail  sooner  or  later,"  said  Sam. 
But  though  he  spoke  light-heartedly  for  his 
chum's  benefit,  he  knew  that  to  trace  the  crim 
inal  would  be  by  no  means  easy.  With  the  four 
thousand  dollars  in  his  possession,  Blackie  Crow- 
den  would  probably  make  every  effort  to  keep 
from  being  discovered. 

As  they  sped  along  the  road,  Songbird  could 
not  help  becoming  poetical,  and  despite  his  blue- 
ness  he  managed  to  concoct  the  following  dog 
gerel  : 

"The  engine  hums — advance  the  spark, 
Turn  on  the  throttle — what  a  lark! 
Away  we  go  like  a  flash  of  light 
Over  the  hill  and  out  of  sight." 

"Not  so  bad,  Songbird,"  was  Sam's  comment. 
"That's  right — keep  it  up  and  maybe  you'll  feel 
better."  But  that  was  the  only  verse  to  be  got 
ten  out  of  the  would-be  poet  for  the  present. 

Arriving  at  Ashton,  they  went  immediately  to 
the  photographer's  shop  and  told  him  what  was 
wanted,  and  he  agreed  to  re-photograph  the  pic 
ture  of  Crowden  and  then  enlarge  the  same  and 
make  as  many  copies  as  Songbird  desired. 

"I'll  do  it  this  afternoon,"  said  Mr.  Ginger, 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  BLACKIE  CROWDEN    89 

"and  you  can  have  a  dozen  or  more  copies  by 
to-morrow  morning.  I'll  make  the  head  of  the 
fellow  about  as  large  as  a  half  dollar,  and  that 
ought  to  make  a  picture  for  any  policeman  or 
'detective  to  go  by;"  and  so  it  was  arranged. 

While  the  youths  were  at  the  photographer's 
an  express  train  had  come  into  Ashton  and  now 
quite  a  few  people  were  coming  away  from  the 
railroad  station.  As  the  boys  walked  towards  the 
automobile,  Songbird  suddenly  uttered  a  cry. 

"Look,  Sam!    Look  who's  here!" 

"Why,  it's  Tom!  My  brother,  Tom!"  ex 
claimed  Sam,  as  he  rushed  forward.  "What  in 
the  world  brought  him  here  to-day?" 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN    WHICH    TOM    ARRIVES 

TOM  ROVER,  tall  and  broad-shouldered,  looked 
the  picture  of  health  as  he  came  toward  his 
younger  brother  and  Songbird.  He  smiled  broad 
ly  as  he  shook  hands  with  them. 

"Why,  Tom!  What  brings  you  here?"  re 
marked  Sam.  "You  didn't  write  about  coming 
on." 

"Oh,  I  thought  I'd  just  drop  in  and  surprise 
you,"  returned  Tom.  "You  know  I  can't  quite 
get  used  to  being  away  from  Brill,"  he  contin 
ued,  with  a  grin. 

"Want  to  get  back  to  your  studies,  I  suppose," 
was  his  brother's  dry  comment.  "Well,  come 
ahead;  you  can  help  me  on  a  theme  I  am  writ 
ing  on  'Civilization  in  Ancient  Central  America.' ' 

"Wow!  that  sounds  as  interesting  as  a  Greek 
dictionary!"  cried  Tom.  "Thank  goodness!  I 
don't  have  to  worry  my  head  about  themes  any 
more.  But  just  the  same,  Sam,  don't  make  any 
mistake.  I  am  as  busy  these  days  as  I  ever  was 

00 


IN  WHICH  TOM  ARRIVES  pt 

in  my  life,  trying  to  help  Dick  and  dad  to  put 
our  new  organization  on  its  feet/' 

"And  how  is  that  getting  along?" 

"Fine.  We  incorporated  this  week  and  hare 
our  papers,  and  now  I  am  the  secretary  of  The 
Rover  Company, "  and  Tom  strutted  around  with 
his  thumbs  under  his  arms.  "Some  class  to  me, 
eh?" 

"And  what  is  Dick?"  questioned  Songbird,  cu 
riously. 

"Oh,  Dick  is  treasurer,"  answered  Tom.  "Dad, 
of  course,  is  president,  but  he  expects  to  hold 
that  position  only  until  Sam  comes  in.  Then 
Dick  is  to  become  president;  myself,  treasurer; 
and  Sam,  secretary." 

"Say!  that's  all  right,"  responded  the  young 
est  Rover,  his  face  showing  his  satisfaction. 

"That  is,  provided  you  want  to  come  in,  Sam. 
Dad  doesn't  want  you  to  give  up  your  idea  of 
becoming  a  lawyer  unless  you  want  to." 

"Oh,  I  might  become  a  lawyer  and  remain 
secretary  of  the  company  too,"  was  the  answer. 
"One  thing  is  snre,  if  you  and  Dick  are  going 
to  remain  in  that  company  you'll  have  to  take 
me  in." 

"Well,  what's  the  news  ?"  went  on  Tom.  "Had 
any  fun  lately?  How  is  Grace?"  and  he  looked 
rather  sharply  at  his  brother. 


92  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Oh,  Grace  is  all  right,"  answered  Sam.  He 
hesitated  a  moment.  "I  suppose  you  didn't 
get  the  letter  I  sent  to  you  and  Dick  yesterday — 
the  letter  about  Songbird  here?" 

"Why  no.    I  left  the  office  night  before  last." 

"Songbird  is  in  trouble,  Tom,"  returned  the 
brother.  "Are  you  going  up  to  the  college  ?  If 
you  are  you  can  go  with  us  in  the  automobile 
and  we'll  tell  you  all  about  it  on  the  way." 

"Yes.  I'll  go  up,  and  I  might  as  well  take  my 
grip  with  me,  for  maybe  I'll  stay  over  until  to 
morrow  if  they  have  room  for  me,"  and  thus 
speaking  Tom  turned  back  to  the  railroad  sta 
tion  to  get  his  dresssuit  case.  The  three  youths 
were  soon  on  their  way  to  Brill,  and  as  Sam 
manipulated  the  car  he  and  Songbird  gave  the 
new  arrival  the  details  concerning  the  attack. 
Tom,  of  course,  listened  with  deep  interest. 

"That's  a  rank  shame,  Songbird !"  he  cried,  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  narrative.  "I  know  just 
how  you  feel.  If  I  could  get  my  hands  on  that 
Blackie  Crowden,  I  think  I'd  put  him  in  the  hos 
pital  first  and  in  prison  afterward." 

"I  told  Songbird  not  to  worry  as  far  as  the 
money  was  concerned,"  went  on  Sam.  "If  that 
old  fellow  who  holds  the  mortgage  won't  wait 
for  his  money,  I  told  Songbird  that  I  thought  we 
could  get  our  folks  to  advance  the  cash." 


IN  WHICH  TOM  ARRIVES  93 

"Sure  thing!"  responded  Tom,  promptly. 
"You  give  me  the  details  and  I'll  see  about  the 
money  when  I  go  back." 

"Mr.  Sanderson  said  he  would  know  about 
it  early  next  week,"  answered  Songbird.  "He  ex 
pects  a  visit  from  old  Grisley  and  Belright  Fogg." 

"My  gracious!  You  didn't  tell  me  anything 
about  Fogg  being  connected  with  this,"  burst  out 
Sam. 

"I  forgot  all  about  it,"  answered  Songbird. 
"It  seems  that  as  soon  as  old  Grisley  heard 
the  money  was  stolen  and  that  it  wasn't  likely 
the  mortgage  would  be  paid,  he  hired  Belright 
Fogg  to  take  the  matter  up  for  him.  He  is  an 
old  man  and  very  excitable,  and  he  somehow 
got  the  notion  that  Mr.  Sanderson  would  try  to 
swindle  him  in  some  way.  So  he  got  Belright 
Fogg  in  the  case,  though  as  a  general  thing  he 
has  no  more  use  for  lawyers  than  he  has  for 
banks." 

"Well,  he's  very  foolish  to  put  his  case  in  the 
hands  of  such  a  fellow  as  Belright  Fogg.  Tom, 
I  guess  you'll  remember  the  trouble  we  had  with 
that  fellow." 

"I  sure  do,  Sam!" 

"And  Sam  had  more  trouble  with  him,"  cried 
Songbird.  "Don't  forget  how  you  hit  him  in 
the  head  with  a  snowball." 


94 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


"That's  right.  In  the  excitement  of  the  at 
tack  on  you,  Songbird,  I  forgot  all  about  that/' 
answered  the  youngest  Rover.  "I  suppose  he  is 
laying  back  to  bring  that  up  against  me." 

They  soon  reached  the  grounds  surrounding 
Brill,  and  Tom  looked  at  the  college  buildings 
with  interest. 

"Looks  almost  like  home  to  me,"  he  said  some 
what  wistfully.  "My,  but  I  had  some  good  times 
here !  I  wish  I  had  been  on  deck  for  that  snow 
balling  contest." 

"Sam  was  the  hero  of  that  occasion,  accord 
ing  to  all  accounts,"  answered  Songbird.  "He 
captured  the  banners  of  the  freshies  and  sophs, 
you  know." 

As  the  automobile  rolled  into  the  grounds  a 
number  of  students  recognized  Tom  and  waved 
friendly  greetings  to  him.  Leaping  out,  he  was 
soon  surrounded  by  a  number  of  his  old  chums, 
all  of  whom  wanted  to  know  where  he  had  been 
keeping  himself  and  how  long  he  was  going  to 
stay  with  them. 

"Can't  stay  longer  than  to-morrow  noon,"  he 
announced.  "You  know  I'm  a  business  man 
now,"  and  he  puffed  up  and  grinned  in  a  man 
ner  that  made  all  of  the  others  smile. 

"You  just  came  in  time,  Tom,"  cried  Spud. 
"Your  old  friend,  William  Philander  Tubbs,  who 


IN  WHICH  TOM  ARRIVES  95 

has  been  away  on  business  to  Boston,  got  back 
here  this  morning." 

"What!  My  old  friend  Tubby  here?  I'll  be 
glad  to  shake  his  flipper,"  announced  Tom,  and 
grinned  more  than  ever  as  he  recalled  the  prac 
tical  jokes  that  had  been  played  at  different  times 
on  the  dudish  student  who  had  been  mentioned. 

Of  course  the  students  present  wanted  to  know 
what  had  been  learned  by  Sam  and  Songbird  on 
the  trip  to  Center  Haven,  and  many  were  the 
speculations  regarding  Blackie  Crowden. 

"The  authorities  ought  to  be  able  to  catch  that 
fellow  now  that  you  have  his  photograph  and  a 
good  description  of  him,"  remarked  Stanley.  "It 
would  be  a  good  idea  to  send  that  description 
and  photograph  broadcast." 

The  boys  reported  to  Dr.  Wallington,  and  Tom 
went  with  them.  The  head  of  Brill  was  glad  to 
see  his  former  student,  and  readily  consented  to 
allow  Tom  to  remain  with  the  others  that  night, 
an  extra  cot  being  put  into  room  No.  25  for  that 
purpose. 

"Are  those  the  banners  you  captured,  Sam?" 
questioned  Tom,  when  the  boys  entered  the  room, 
and  as  he  spoke  he  pointed  to  two  banners  which 
were  nailed  up  on  the  wall. 

"Yes,  Tom,  those  are  the  ones  we  captured," 
was  the  reply  of  the  youngest  Rover,  with  con- 


96      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

siderable  pride.  "The  freshies  and  sophs  wanted 
them  back  the  worst  way,  but  I  told  them  there 
was  nothing  doing,  that  I  intended  to  keep  them 
at  least  until  I  graduated.  They  sent  a  commit 
tee  to  me  to  get  the  banners,  and  I  can  tell  you 
that  committee  was  pretty  sore  when  they  went 
away  without  getting  them." 

"You  watch  out  that  they  don't  take  those  ban 
ners  on  the  sly,  Sam." 

"Oh,  Songbird  and  I  are  looking  out  for  them. 
Didn't  you  notice  we  had  the  door  locked?  We 
always  lock  up  now,  and  no  one  has  a  key  but 
the  janitor,  and  we  have  cautioned  him  not  to 
let  any  one  in  here  without  our  permission." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'd  like  to  do  to-night,"  said 
Tom.  "I'd  like  to  smuggle  something  to  eat  into 
this  room  and  give  some  of  our  crowd  a  spread, 
just  for  the  fun  of  it." 

"All  right,  I'm  willing,  Tom,"  answered  his 
brother.  "Of  course  you'll  have  to  keep  rather 
quiet  about  it,  because  I  don't  want  to  get  into 
the  bad  graces  of  any  of  the  monitors  or  of  Dr. 
Wellington.  I  want  to  graduate  next  June  with 
the  highest  possible  honors." 

It  was  arranged  that  while  Songbird  and  Sam 
studied  some  necessary  lessons,  Tom  was  to  re 
turn  to  Ashton  in  the  automobile  and  bring  back 
a  number  of  things  which  would  be  needed  for 


IN  WHICH  TOM  ARRIVES  97 

the  proposed  spread.  Tom  took  Spud  and  Stan 
ley  with  him.  Out  on  the  campus  the  three  came 
face  to  face  with  William  Philander  Tubbs. 

"Hello,  Tubblets,  old  boy!"  cried  Tom  cor 
dially,  as  he  caught  William  Philander  by  the 
hasd.  "How  are  you  making  it  these  days?" 

"I — er — er How  do  you  do,  Rover?" 

stammered  the  dudish  student.  "Why,  I  am — 
er — am  quite  well,  thank  you.  I  thought  you 
had  left  college?" 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  leave  it  for  good,  you  know, 
Tubby,  my  dear.  They  wouldn't  be  able  to  get 
along  without  me." 

"Why — ah — why — ah — somebody  told  me  you 
were  going  into  business  in  New  York." 

"That's  right,  Tubbette." 

"Oh,  Rover!  please  don't  call  me  by  those 
horrid  nicknames  any  longer,"  pleaded  William 
Philander.  "You  promised  me  long  ago  you 
wouldn't  do  it." 

"Only  a  slip  of  my  memory,  my  dear  Philan 
der  Williams.  I  really " 

"No,  no !  Not  Philander  Williams.  My  name 
is  William  Philander." 

"That's  right!  so  it  is.  It's  always  been 
Philander  William — No,  I  mean  Willander  Phil- 
iams — no,  that  isn't  it  either.  My  gracious, 
Tubblets,  old  boy!  what  have  you  done  with  the 


98      THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

front  handles  of  your  cognomen,  anyway?    You 
twist  me  all  sideways  trying  to  remember  it." 

"Really,  how  odd!  My  name  is  William  Phi- 
'  lander  Tubbs.  That's  easy  enough." 
I  "If  I  had  it  engraved  in  script  type  on  a  visit 
ing  card  and  looked  at  it  daily,  maybe  I  would 
be  able  to  remember  it,"  answered  Tom,  mourn 
fully.  "You  know  my  head  was  never  very  good 
for  history  or  anything  like  that  However, 
now  that  I  know  that  your  name  is  Philander 
Tubblets  Williams,  don't  you  think  you'd  like 
to  ride  down  to  Ashton  with  us  ?  We  are  going 
to  have  a  little  spread  to-night,  and  I  want  you 
to  help  me  pick  out  the  spaghetti,  sauerkraut, 
sweet  potato  pie,  Limburger  cheese,  and  other 
delicacies." 

"Oh,  by  Jove!  do  you  really  mean  you  are 
going  to  have  those  things  for  a  spread  ?"  gasped 
William  Philander. 

"That  is,  if  they  are  just  the  things  you  like," 
'returned  Tom,  innocently.  "Of  course,  Stanley 
here  suggested  that  we  have  some  fried  eel  sand 
wiches  and  some  worm  pudding.  But  I  don't 
know  about  such  rich  living  as  that." 

"Eel  sandwiches!  Worm  pudding!"  groaned 
William  Philander,  aghast.  "I  never  heard  of 
such  things  I  Why  don't  you  get — er — er — some 
cream  puffs  and  chocolate  eclares  and  er — and — • 


IN  WHICH  TOM  ARRIVES  99 

er — and  mint  kisses  and  things  like  that,  you 
know?" 

"Not  solid  enough,  my  dear  Willie  boy.  The 
boys  love  substantials.  You  know  that  as  well 
as  I  do.  Of  course  we  might  add  a  few  little 
delicacies  like  turnips  and  onions,  just  for  side 
dishes,  you  know." 

"I — I — really  think  you  had  better  excuse  me, 
Rover!"  exclaimed  William  Philander,  backing 
away.  "I  am  not  feeling  extra  good,  and  I  don't 
think  I  want  to  go  to  any  spread  to-night,"  and 
William  Philander  bowed  and  backed  still  far 
ther. 

"Oh,  all  right,  Philly  Willy,"  responded  Tom, 
dolefully.  "Of  course  if  you  don't  want  to  par 
ticipate  you  don't  have  to,  but  you'll  break  our 
hearts  if  you  stay  away.  Now  you  just  come  to 
room  twenty-five  to-night  and  we'll  give  you  the 
finest  red  herring  and  mush  ice  cream  you  ever 
ckewed  in  your  life,"  and  then  he  and  his  chums 
hurried  away  in  the  automobile,  leaving  William 
Philander  Tubbs  gazing  after  him  in  deep  per 
plexity. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   FEAST 

WHEN  Tom  came  back  accompanied  by  Stan 
ley  and  Spud,  all  had  their  arms  full  of  the  things 
purchased  in  Ashton. 

"And  this  is  only  the  half  of  it,"  announced 
the  fun-loving  Rover  to  his  brother,  in  answer  to 
a  query.  "We've  got  to  go  back  and  get  the  rest 
out  of  the  automobile." 

"We'll  bring  that  stuff  up,"  said  Stanley.  "You 
stay  here  with  your  brother.  Come  on,  Song 
bird,  I  see  you  are  doing  nothing,  so  you  might 
as  well  give  us  a  lift,"  and  off  the  three  boys 
trooped  to  bring  up  the  rest  of  the  things  pur 
chased  for  the  feast. 

"I'm  mighty  glad  you  are  going  to  give  this, 
Tom,  on  Songbird's  account,"  announced  Sam, 
when  he  and  his  brother  were  left  to  themselves. 
"Songbird  is  about  as  blue  as  indigo.  You  see, 
it  isn't  only  the  money — it's  Minnie.  Her  father 
won't  let  him  call  on  her  any  more." 

"Tough  luck,  sure  enough,"  responded  Tom. 
100 


THE  FEAST  IOI 

'Well,  let  us  do  all  we  can  to-night  to  make 
Songbird  forget  his  troubles."  Tom  took  a  walk 
up  and  down  the  room,  halting  in  front  of  a  pic 
ture  of  Grace  which  was  in  a  silver  frame  on  a 
chiffonier.  "Pretty  good  picture,  Sam,"  he  ob 
served. 

"Yes,  it  is." 

"Did  you  say  that  you  had  been  out  with 
Grace  lately?" 

"Oh,  yes.  We  had  a  fine  sleighride  only  the 
other  day." 

"She's  made  quite  a  friend  of  a  Miss  Ada  Wal- 
tham  at  the  seminary,  a  rich  girl,  hasn't  she  ?" 

"She  has  mentioned  Miss  Waltham  to  me.  I 
didn't  know  that  they  were  particularly  friend 
ly,"  answered  Sam.  "You  know  this  Miss  Wal 
tham  is  very  rich." 

"So  I  heard,  Sam.  She  is  worth  about  a  quar* 
ter  of  a  million  dollars,  so  somebody  said.  But 
she  has  a  brother,  Chester,  who  is  worth  even 
more.  An  uncle  died  and  left  nearly  his  entire 
estate  to  the  brother." 

"Is  that  so?  Lucky  young  fellow!  But  I 
don't  see  how  that  interests  me,  Tom,"  and  Sam 
looked  at  his  brother  inquiringly.  "You  act  as 
if  you  had  something  on  your  mind." 

"So  I  have,  Sam;  and  that  is  one  of  the  rea 
sons  I  came  here  to-day,"  announced  Tom.  "I'll 


102  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

tell  you  about  it  in  the  morning,"  he  added  has 
tily,  as  a  tramping  was  heard  in  the  hallway; 
and  the  next  moment  the  door  burst  open  and 
in  came  Stanley,  Songbird,  Spud  and  one  or  two 
others,  all  loaded  down  with  bundles  and  pack-; 
ages. 

"Make  way  for  the  parcels  post  and  the  ex 
press  company !"  proclaimed  Spud,  as  he  dropped 
several  packages  on  one  of  the  cots.  "Say,  Tom, 
you  must  have  bought  out  half  of  Ashton." 

"Only  three-eighths,  Spud,"  answered  the  fun- 
loving  Rover,  gaily.  "You  see  I  knew  what  an 
awful  appetite  you  had,  and  as  I  had  an  extra 
twenty-five  cent  piece  in  my  jeans  I  thought  I'd 
try  to  satisfy  that  appetite  just  once." 

"Twenty-five  cents !  Wow !"  commented  Stan 
ley.  "I'll  wager  this  spread  costs  you  a  good 
many  dollars." 

Word  had  been  passed  around  to  a  number  of 
Tom's  old  friends,  and  they  were  all  requested 
to  be  on  hand  by  ten  o'clock. 

"Tubbs  says  he  begs  to  be  excused,"  an 
nounced  Paul  Orben  when  he  came  in.  "He  says 
he  has  got  some  studying  he  must  do." 

"Nonsense!  He's  afraid  we'll  treat  him  to 
some  sauerkraut  pie  and  some  pickled  pastry," 
returned  Tom.  "I  don't  want  him  to  stay  away 
and  miss  a  good  time.  What  room  is  he  in?" 


THE  FEAST  103 

"Number  eighteen." 

'Then  come  along,  some  of  you,  and  we'll 
bring  him  here,"  announced  the  fun-loving  Ro 
ver,  and  marched  off,  followed  by  Spud  and  Bob. 
In  the  meanwhile,  Sam,  Songbird  and  Stanley 
brought  the  things  from  the  closet  and  began  to 
prepare  for  the  feast 

Tom  and  his  friends  found  William  Philander 
busy  folding  and  putting  away  half  a  dozen  gor 
geous  neckties.  He  was  rather  startled  at  their 
sudden  entrance,  and  did  his  best  to  hide  the  ar 
ticles. 

"Hello!  I  thought  you  were  boning  away 
on  trigonometry  or  mental  science,"  was  Tom's 
comment.  "Say,  old  boy,  that's  a  gorgeous  neck 
tie,"  he  added  as  he  picked  up  a  creation  in 
lavender  and  yellow.  "Did  you  buy  this  to  wear 
at  the  horse  show,  or  at  a  meeting  of  mothers' 
helpers  ?" 

"Oh,  my  dear  Rover,  please  don't  muss  that 
up!"  pleaded  William  Philander,  snatching  the 
necktie  from  Tom's  hands.  "That  is  one  that 
was — er — made — er — a — a  present  to  me." 

"Oh,  I  see.  Thaf  s  the  one  that  blind  young 
lady  gave  to  you.  I  admire  her  taste  in  picking 
it  out." 

"Blind  lady?  I — er — have  no  blind  lady 
friend,"  returned  William  Philander. 


104  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Oh,  yes,  I  remember  now,  Tubby,  she  was 
deaf — not  blind.  It's  a  wonder  she  didn't  pick 
out  something  a  little  louder." 

"Oh,  Rover,  I  really  believe  you  are  poking 
fun  at  that  necktie,"  returned  the  dudish  stu 
dent. 

"We  came  to  get  you  to  come  to  the  feast, 
Willie,"  announced  Spud.  "We  don't  want  you 
to  miss  it." 

"We  wouldn't  have  you  miss  it  for  a  peck  of 
shelled  popcorn,"  put  in  Bob. 

"Yes,  but  really,  I've  got  some  studying  to  do, 
and " 

"You  can  study  after  the  feast  is  over,  my  dear 
boy,"  broke  in  Tom,  as  he  caught  William  Phi 
lander  by  the  arm.  "You'll  be  surprised  how 
much  quicker  you  can  learn  on  a  full  stomach 
than  on  one  that  is  half  vacant.  Come  on!" 

"Yes,  but  I " 

"We  haven't  any  time  to  spare,  Tubblets.  You 
are  going  to  the  feast,  so  you  might  as  well  make 
the  best  of  it.  Come  on,  fellows,  help  him  along. 
He's  so  bashful  he  can't  walk,"  and  thus  urged, 
Spud  took  William  Philander's  other  arm  while 
Bob  caught  him  by  the  collar  and  in  the  back, 
and  thus  the  three  of  them  forced  the  dudish 
collegian  out  of  his  room  and  along  the  hall 
way  to  Number  25. 


THE  FEAST  105 

By  this  time  something  like  fifteen  students 
had  gathered  in  the  room,  and  the  advent  of  Tom 
and  his  chums  with  the  somewhat  frightened 
(William  Philander  was  greeted  with  a  roar  of 
approval.  The  dudish  student  was  marched  in 
and  made  to  take  a  seat  on  a  board  which  had 
been  placed  on  two  chairs.  On  the  board  sat 
several  students,  and  William  Philander  was 
placed  on  one  end. 

"Now,  then,  everybody  make  himself  at  home," 
announced  Tom,  as  soon  as  a  look  around  had 
convinced  him  that  his  brother  and  the  others 
had  everything  in  readiness  for  the  feast.  "I  be 
lieve  you'll  find  everything  here  except  tooth 
picks,  and  for  those  we'll  have  to  chop  up  one 
of  Sam's  baseball  bats  later  on." 

"Not  much!  You're  not  going  to  touch  any 
of  my  bats,"  announced  the  younger  brother, 
firmly. 

"Sam  wants  to  keep  them  to  help  bat  another 
victory  for  Brill  this  spring,"  put  in  Spud.  "My ! 
but  that  was  one  great  game  we  had  last  sea 
son." 

"So  it  was,"  put  in  another  student.  "And 
don't  forget  that  Tom  helped  to  win  that  game 
as  well  as  Sam." 

While  this  chatter  was  going  on  various  good 
things  in  the  way  of  salads  and  sandwiches  had 


106  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

been  passed  around,  and  these  were  followed  by 
cake  and  glasses  of  root  beer,  ginger  ale  and 
grape  juice. 

"Why,  this  is  perfectly  lovely,"  lisped  Wil 
liam  Philander  Tubbs,  as  he  sat  on  the  end  of 
the  board-seat,  his  lap  covered  with  a  paper  nap 
kin  on  which  rested  a  large  plate  of  chicken  salad 
and  some  sandwiches.  In  one  hand  he  held  an 
extra  large  glass  of  grape  juice. 

"Everybody  ready!"  announced  Stanley,  with 
a  wink  at  several  of  the  boys.  "Here  is  where 
we  drink  to  the  health  of  Tom  Rover!" 

"Tom  Rover!"  was  the  exclamation,  and  at 
a  certain  sign  all  the  boys  seated  on  the  board 
except  William  Philander  leaped  to  their  feet. 

The  result  was  as  might  have  been  expected. 
The  dudish  pupil  had  been  resting  on  the  end 
of  the  board,  which  overlapped  the  chair,  and 
with  the  weight  of  the  others  removed,  the  board 
suddenly  tipped  upward  and  down  went  William 
Philander  in  a  heap,  the  chicken  salad  jouncing 
forward  over  his  shirt  front  and  the  glass  of 
grape  juice  in  his  hand  being  dashed  full  into 
his  face. 

"Hi !  Hi !  What— er— did— er— you  do  that 
for?"  he  spluttered,  as  he  sat  on  the  floor,  com- 
pktely  dazed.  "Say!  why  didn't  you  tell  me 
you  were  going  to  get  up?"  and  then  he  started 


THE    BOARD    SUDDENLY   TIPPED   AND     DOWN    WENT    WILLIAM 

n     „  PHILANDER.  Page  \W. 

The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Tour. 


THE  FEAST  107 

to  wipe  the  grape  juice  from  his  eyes  and  nose. 

"Hello!  Salad's  going  down!"  cried  one  stu 
dent  gaily. 

''Say,  Tubbs,  there  is  no  use  of  throwing  such 
nice  food  as  that  away  even  if  you  don't  want 
it,"  chimed  in  another. 

"Don't  you  know  enough  to  stand  up  when  a 
toast  is  to  be  drunk  ?""  queried  a  third. 

"I — I — didn't  quite  understand,"  stammered 
William  Philander,  and  then  with  an  effort  he 
extracted  himself  from  the  mess  on  his  lap  and 
slowly  arose  to  his  feet.  "My  gracious !  I  believe 
I  have  utterly  ruined  this  vest  and  trousers!" 
he  added  mournfully,  as  he  gazed  down  at  the 
light  gray  suit  he  wore. 

"Oh,  a  little  gasoline  will  fix  that  up  all  right," 
said  Spud.  "Don't  let  a  little  thing  like  that  in 
terfere  with  your  pleasure,  Tubbs.  Come  on — 
here's  another  glass  of  grape  juice.  No  use  of 
crying  over  spilt  milk — I  mean  juice,"  corrected 
the  youth. 

"Tom  Rover!  Everybody  up!"  came  the  call, 
and  then  amid  a  subdued  murmuring  of  good 
luck  the  boys  stood  around  Tom  and  drank  his 
health. 

"Thank  you,  fellows,  very  much,"  answered 
Tom,  and  there  was  just  a  suspicion  of  huski- 
ness  in  his  voice. 


108  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Speech!  Speech!  Give  us  a  speech!"  came 
from  several. 

"Speech?  Great  guns !  I  never  made  a  speech 
in  my  life,"  announced  Tom,  and  now  for  the 
first  time  he  looked  a  bit  confused. 

"Oh,  you've  got  to  say  something,  Tom,"  cried 
Stanley. 

"What  shall  I  talk  about — earthquakes  in  In 
dia,  or  the  spots  on  Tubbs'  pants  ?"  queried  Tom, 
with  a  grin. 

"Never  mind  what  you  talk  about  so  long  as 
you  say  something,"  came  from  Bob. 

"All  right  then — here  goes !"  announced  Tom 
after  a  little  pause.  "Catch  this  before  it's  too 
late.  I'm  glad  to  be  here,  otherwise  I  wouldn't 
be  here.  I'm  glad  you  are  here,  otherwise  you 
wouldn't  be  here.  I  think  Brill  College  is  the 
best  college  any  fellow  could  ever  go  to,  if  that 
hadn't  been  so  I'd  never  have  gone  to  Brill. 
I'm  sorry  I  couldn't  stay  here  to  graduate,  but 
I've  left  the  honor  to  Sam  here,  and  I  trust  he'll 
get  through  and  make  a  record  for  the  whole 
family.  Boys,  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart.  And  here's  wishing  you  all  success 
at  graduation  and  success  through  life,"  and  thus 
concluding  his  little  speech,  Tom  took  a  gen 
erous  drink  of  ginger  ale,  while  the  others  ap 
plauded  vigorousry. 


THE  FEAST  109 

"Very  good !"  cried  Sam,  but  then  added  quick 
ly  :  "For  gracious  sake !  don't  make  too  much 
noise  or  you'll  have  one  of  the  monitors  here  and 
we'll  get  some  black  marks." 

"That's  right,  fellows,"  announced  Stanley. 
"After  this  we'll  have  to  be  as  noisy  as  a  mouse 
in  a  cheese  factory." 

"Now  that  I  have  been  called  on  to  make  a 
speech,"  announced  Tom,  after  quietness  had  been 
restored,  "I  am  going  to  call  on  Songbird  for 
one  of  his  choice  bits  of  poetry." 

"Oh,  now,  Tom!  please  don't  do  that,"  plead 
ed  the  would-be  poet  of  Brill.  "You  know  I'm 
in  no  humor  for  writing  poetry  now." 

"All  the  more  reason  why  you  should  write 
some,"  announced  Sam.  "Come  on  now.  You 
must  have  something  tucked  away  in  your  system 
— I  mean  something  brand  new." 

"Well — er — I've  got  something  new,  but  I 
hardly  think  it  is  appropriate  for  this  occasion," 
answered  Songbird  slowly. 

"Never  mind;  give  it  to  us  no  matter  what  it 
is,"  cried  one  of  the  students. 

"Let  her  nutter!" 

"Poetry  for  mine !" 

"Let  her  flow,  Songbird !" 

"That's   right.     Turn  on   the   poetry   spigot, 


HO     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Songbird ;"  and  thus  urged  the  would-be  poet  of 
Brill  began : 

"The  world  is  black  and  I  fed  blue, 
I  do  not  know  what  I'm  to  do, 
That  fellow  hit  me  in  the  head 
And  left  me  in  the  road  for  dead 
I  go  around  from  hour  to  hour 
And  I  am  feeling  mighty  sour. 
I  am  consumed  with  helpless  woe " 

"Because  I  lost  that  heard-earned  dough," 

completed  Tom,  rather  suddenly,  and  this  abrupt 
ending  caused  a  general  laugh. 


TOM  FREES  HIS  MIND 

THE  party  in  Number  25  did  not  break  up 
until  some  time  after  midnight,  and  all  present 
declared  that  they  had  had  the  time  of  their 
lives.  Only  one  interruption  had  come,  made 
by  a  good-natured  monitor  who  had  begged  them 
to  make  less  noise,  and  this  fellow,  well  known 
to  Tom,  had  been  bought  off  with  several  sand 
wiches  and  a  bottle  of  ginger  ale. 

"And  how  do  you  fellows  feel  this  morning?" 
asked  Tom,  who  was  the  first  to  get  up  after  a 
sound  sleep. 

"Oh,  I'm  first  rate/'  announced  his  younger 
brother.  "I  thought  I'd  dream,  with  so  much 
chicken  salad  and  sandwiches  and  cake  in  me, 
but  I  slept  like  a  log" 

"I  didn't  sleep  extra  well/'  came  slowly  from 
Songbird.  "But  I  don't  think  it  was  the  feast 
kept  me  awake." 

Tom  walked  over  to  where  the  would-be  poet 
of  Brill  sat  on  the  edge  of  a  cot  and  dropped 
down  beside  him. 

in 


112  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Songbird,  you  take  the  loss  of  that  money 
too  much  to  heart,"  he  said  kindly.  "Of  course 
we  all  know  it  was  a  great  loss.  Yet  it  won't 
do  to  grieve  over  it  too  much.  And  besides,  there 
is  hope  that  some  day  the  authorities  will  catch 
that  Blackie  Crowden  and  get  at  least  part  of  the 
money  back." 

"It  isn't  the  money  alone,  Tom;  it  is  the  way 
Mr.  Sanderson  has  treated  me.  And  besides  that, 
I'm  worried  over  that  mortgage.  I'd  like  to 
know  just  what  old  Grisley  and  his  lawyer  are 
going  to  do." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Songbird.  If  you 
wish  me  to,  I'll  call  on  Mr.  Sanderson  and  tell 
him  what  we  are  willing  to  do,  so  that  he  can 
rest  easy  about  paying  the  mortgage  off  if  he 
has  to." 

"I  wish  you  would  go,  Tom — and  put  in  a 
good  word  for  me,  too,"  cried  Songbird,  eagerly. 

"Oh,  I'll  do  that,  never  fear.  I'll  go  this 
morning  before  I  start  back  to  New  York;"  and 
thus  it  was  arranged. 

"You  said  that  you  had  something  to  tell  me, 
Tom,"  remarked  Sam,  as  the  three  were  going 
downstairs  to  breakfast.  "What  was  it?" 

"Oh,  it  may  not  amount  to  much,  Sam.  I'll 
tdl  you  about  it  as  soon  as  we  can  get  by  our 
selves,"  answered  Tom. 


TOM  FREES  HIS  MIND  113 

The  morning  meal  was  quickly  disposed  of, 
and  then  Tom  and  Sam  returned  to  Number  25, 
the  former  to  repack  his  dress-suit  case  before 
leaving  for  the  Sandersons'  place  and  for  New 
York. 

"I  don't  exactly  know  how  to  get  at  this, 
Sam,"  began  his  brother,  slowly,  when  the  pair 
were  in  the  bedroom  and  the  door  had  been 
closed.  "It  is  about  Grace  and  the  Wal- 
thams." 

"About  Grace  ?"  and  Sam  showed  his  increased 
interest.  "What  about  her  ?" 

"Well,  as  I  mentioned  last  night,  this  Ada 
Waltham  is  very  rich,  and  she  has  a  brother, 
Chester,  who  is  older  than  she  is  and  much  rich 
er.  In  fact,  I've  heard  it  said  that  he  is  a  young 
millionaire." 

"Well  ?"  queried  Sam,  as  his  brother  paused. 

"Oh,  I  really  don't  know  how  to  get  at  this, 
Sam,"  burst  out  Tom,  and  his  face  showed  his 
worry.  "Maybe  there  is  nothing  in  it  at  all ;  but 
just  the  same  I  thought  I  had  better  bring  it 
to  you  at  once.  I  knew  you  would  rather  have 
it  come  from  me  than  from  some  outsider." 

"But  what  in  the  world  are  you  talking  about, 
Tom?" 

"I'm  talking  about  the  attentions  this  Chester 
Waltham  is  bestowing  upon  Grace.  It  seems 


114  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

that  his  sister,  Ada,  introduced  him  to  Grace  a 
couple  of  months  ago,  and  since  that  time  I've 
heard  that  he  has  been  up  to  Hope  several  times, 
ostensibly  to  call  on  his  sister,  but  really  to  see 
Grace.  I  understand  he  has  taken  both  of  them 
out  riding  several  times." 

"Taken  Grace  out  riding!"  cried  Sam,  and 
his  face  flushed  suddenly.  "Are  you  sure  of  this? 
Grace  never  mentioned  it  to  me." 

"I  think  it's  the  truth,  Sam.  You  see,  ever 
since  Nellie  left  Hope  she  has  kept  correspond 
ing  with  several  of  the  girls  there,  and  one  of 
these  girls  knows  Ada  Waftham  quite  well,  and 
she  mentioned  the  fact  of  the  sister  and  Grace 
going  out  with  Chester.  She  said  that  she  quite 
envied  Grace  being  invited  to  ride  out  with  a 
young  millionaire.  Then  Nellie  spoke  to  Dora 
about  it,  and  Dora  said  she  had  heard  practically 
the  same  thing  from  anothe*"  one  of  the  sem 
inary  students.  Now  I  don't  like  to  butt  in,  Sam, 
but  at  the  same  time  I  thought  you  ought  to 
know  just  how  things  were  going." 

"I  don't  understand  it  at  all,"  returned  the 
younger  brother,  and  for  the  moment  he  looked 
rather  helpless.  "If  Grace  received  an  invitation 
to  go  out  with  this  Chester  Waltham,  I  am  quite 
sure  she  would  mention  it  to  me." 

"Perhaps  she  merely  went  as  a  companion  of 


TOM  FREES  HIS  MIND  115' 

Ada's,"  suggested  Tom,  "and  she  might  have 
thought  it  wasn't  necessary  to  mention  it." 

"Have  you  heard  anything  more  than  that, 
Tom?" 

"Not  much,  except  that  in  one  of  the  letters 
this  girl  said  that  she  would  envy  Grace  all  the 
nice  flowers  and  boxes  of  candy  she  might  expect 
from  such  a  wealthy  young  man  as  Waltham. 
Now,  as  I  said  before,  Sam,  it's  none  of  my 
business,  but  I  just  couldn't  help  coming  out  here 
to  put  a  flea  in  your  ear.  We — Nellie  and  I — 
know  just  how  you  feel  about  Grace,  and  both 
of  us  would  like  nothingi  better  than  to  have  you 
double  up  with  her  after  you  graduate." 

"Thank  you,  Tom;  it's  fine  for  you  to  talk 
that  way,  and  it's  fine  to  have  Nellie  on  my  side. 
But  I  don't  understand  this  at  all.  If  Grace  has 
been  going  out  with  this  Chester  Waltham,  why 
hasn't  she  said  something  to  me  about  it?  She 
has  spoken  to  me  about  Ada  a  number  of  times, 
but  I  never  heard  this  Chester  mentioned  once." 

"Well,  I  can't  tell  you  any  more  than  I  have 
told  you,"  returned  Tom.  "If  I  were  you,  I'd 
see  Grace  and  find  out  just  what  this  fellow  has 
been  doing.  You  know  a  fellow  who  is  worth 
a  million  dollars  is  some  catch  for  any  girl." 

"Yes,  I  know.  It's  a  good  deal  more  than 
I'll  be  able  to  offer  Grace." 


Il6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"True,  but  money  isn't  everything  in  this  life, 
Sam.  I  didn't  look  for  money  when  I  married 
Nellie,  and  I  don't  think  she  cared  a  rap  how 
much  I  was  worth." 

"That's  the  way  it  ought  to  be  done " 

"I  always  supposed  that  you  and  Grace  had 
some  sort  of  an  understanding  between  you," 
went  on  Tom,  after  rather  an  awkward  pause. 
"Of  course,  Sam,  you  haven't  got  to  say  a  word 
about  it  if  you  don't  want  to,"  he  added  hastily. 

"We  did  have  some  sort  of  an  understanding, 
Tom.  But  you  know  how  it  was  with  you  and 
Nellie — Mrs.  Laning  wouldn't  think  of  your  be 
coming  publicly  engaged  until  after  you  had  left 
college.  She  has  told  Grace  that  she  will  have 
to  wait.  So  she  is  free  to  do  as  she  chooses." 

There  was  but  little  more  that  could  be  said  on 
the  subject,  and  so  Tom  turned  to  pack  his  suit 
case  while  Sam  got  ready  to  attend  one  of  his 
classes.  The  youngest  Rover  heaved  a  heavy 
sigh,  which  showed  that  he  was  more  disturbed 
than  he  cared  to  admit. 

A  little  while  later  Tom  had  said  good-bye  to 
his  brother  and  to  his  numerous  friends  at  Brill 
and  was  on  his  way  in  a  hired  turnout  to  the 
Sanderson  homestead,  which  he  had  promised, 
to  visit  before  leaving  on  the  train  at  Ashton 
for  New  York  City.  Tom  went  on  his  errand 


TOM  FREES  HIS  MIND  117 

alone,  none  of  the  others  being  able  to  get  away 
from  the  college  that  morning. 

The  Sandersons  had  heard  nothing  about  his 
arrival  at  Brill  and,  consequently,  were  much  sur 
prised  when  he  drove  up.  Minnie  greeted  him 
with  a  warm  smile,  and  even  Mr.  Sanderson, 
considering  his  great  loss,  was  quite  cordial. 

"Ain't  comin'  back  to  complete  your  eddica-* 
tion,  are  you,  Mr.  Rover?"  questioned  the  farm 
er,  with  a  slight  show  of  humor. 

"No,  Mr.  Sanderson.  I'm  through  with  Brill 
so  far  as  studying  goes,"  answered  the  youth.  "I 
just  took  a  run-out  to  see  how  Sam  and  the 
others  were  getting  along.  They  told  me  all 
about  your  loss,  and  I'm  mighty  sorry  that  the 
thing  happened.  Poor  Songbird  is  all  broke  up 
over  it." 

"Humph !  I  reckon  he  ain't  half  as  much  broke 
up  as  I  am,"  retorted  the  farmer.  "This  has 
placed  me  in  a  fine  pickle." 

"Now,  Pa,  please  don't  get  excited  again," 
pleaded  Minnie,  whose  face  showed  that  she  had 
suffered  as  much,  or  more,  as  had  her  parent. 

"Ain't  no  use  to  get  excited  now.  The  money 
is  gone,  and  I  suppose  that  is  the  last  of  it.  What 
I'm  worryin'  about  is  how  I'm  goin'  to  settle 
about  that  mortgage.  Grisley  at  first  said  he 
would  put  it  off,  but  yesterday  he  sent  word 


Il8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

he  was  comin'  here  today  with  his  lawyer  to 
settle  things." 

"And  here  they  come  now!"  interrupted  Min 
nie,  as  she  glanced  out  of  a  window.  The  others 
looked  and  saw  two  men  drive  up  the  lane  in  a 
cutter.  They  were  old  Henry  Grisley,  the  man 
who  held  the  mortgage  on  the  farm,  and  Belright 
Fogg.  The  girl  went  to  the  door  to  let  the  visi 
tors  in.  Old  Henry  Grisley  paid  scant  attention 
to  Tom  when  the  two  were  introduced  to  each 
other.  The  lawyer  looked  at  the  visitor  in  some 
astonishment. 

"Huh!  I  didn't  expect  to  see  you  here,  Mr. 
Rover,"  said  Belright  Fogg,  coolly.  "Are  you 
mixed  up  in  this  unfortunate  affair?" 

"I  may  be  before  we  get  through,"  answered 
Tom. 

"You  weren't  the  young  man  who  lost  the 
money  ?" 

"No." 

"I've  got  an  account  to  settle  with  your 
brother,"  went  on  Belright  Fogg,  rather  mali 
ciously.  "He  took  great  pleasure  the  other  day 
in  hitting  me  in  the  head  with  a  snowball,  almost 
knocking  me  senseless.  I've  had  to  have  my  head 
treated  by  a  doctor,  and  more  than  likely  I'll  sue 
him  for  damages." 

"I  reckon  you'll  do  what  you  can  to  make  it 


TOM  FREES  HIS  MIND  119 

hot  for  him,"  returned  Tom.  "It's  your  way, 
Mr.  Fogg.  But  just  let  me  give  you  a  word  of 
advice — you  take  care  that  you  don't  get  your 
fingers  burnt." 

"Ha!     Is  that  a  threat?" 

"Oh,  no.  It  is  only  a  word  of  advice.  Please 
to  remember  that  we  know  all  about  you,  and 
we  won't  stand  any  nonsense  from  you.  If  my 
brother  really  hurt  you,  he'll  be  willing  to  do 
the  fair  thing;  but  if  you  think  you  can  gouge 
him  in  any  way,  you've  got  another  guess  com- 
ing." 

"Looky!"  came  in  a  shrill  voice  from  old 
Henry  Grisley.  "I  thought  we  come  here  fer  my 
money  on  that  er  mortgage,"  and  from  under 
a  pair  of  heavy  gray  eyebrows  he  looked  search- 
ingly  into  the  faces  of  Mr.  Sanderson  and  the 
lawyer. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Grisley,  that's  what  we  came  for," 
returned  Belright  Fogg,  "and  the  sooner  we 
come  to  business  perhaps  the  better." 

"As  I've  told  you  before,  the  money  is  gone — 
stolen,"  said  Mr.  Sanderson.  "I  can't  pay — at 
least  not  now,  and  I'd  like  an  extension  of 
time." 

"Mr.  Grisley  isn't  inclined  to  grant  any  ex 
tension,"  said  Belright  Fogg,  somewhat  pompous 
ly.  "The  mortgage  is  too  big  for  this  place 


120  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

anyway,  and  he  feels  that  he  ought  to  have  his 
money." 

"And  if  Mr.  Sanderson  can't  pay,  what  then?" 
questioned  Tom,  before  the  farmer  could  speak. 

'Why,  we'll  have  to  foreclose  and  sell  the 
place,"  answered  the  lawyer,  quickly. 

"That's  it !  That's  it !"  came  shrilly  from  old 
Henry  Grisley.  "I  want  my  money — every  cent 
of  it.  If  I  don't  git  it,  I'm  goin'  to  take  the 
farm,"  he  added  in  tones  which  were  almost  tri 
umphant. 

"But  see  here "  began  Mr.  Sanderson. 

"Oh,  Pa,  don't  let  them  sell  the  farm!"  burst 
out  Minnie,  and  as  she  spoke  the  tears  started 
to  her  eyes. 

"You  won't  sell  the  farm,  Mr.  Grisley,"  said 
Tom,  coolly. 

"Why  not,  if  the  money  isn't  paid?"  cried 
the  old  man. 

"The  money  will  be  paid — every  cent  of  it," 
answered  Tom. 


CHAPTER   XII 

OLD   GRISLEY    COMES    TO   TERMS 

ALL  in  the  room  looked  at  Tom  in  some  sur 
prise  because  of  the  plain  way  in  which  he  had 
spoken. 

"Mr.  Rover,  you  are  sure  of  what  you  are 
saying?"  questioned  Mr.  Sanderson,  quickly,  in 
a  low  voice. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Sanderson,  we'll  take  care  of  this 
mortgage.  Don't  you  worry  a  bit  about  it." 

"Did  you  say  you  would  pay  off  this  mort 
gage  ?"  demanded  Belright  Fogg,  glaring  at  Tom. 

"I  didn't  say  I'd  pay  it  off  personally.  But  my 
folks  will  take  care  of  it." 

"The  money  is  due  now — has  been  due  for 
several  days." 

"Yes,  sir,  that's  right!"  came  shrilly  from 
Henry  Grisley.  "And  I  want  you  to  know  that 
I  want  the  full  amount  with  interest  up  to  the 
day  when  it  is  paid.  I  ain't  goin'  to  lose  nothin* 
• — not  a  cent." 

"Mr.   Grisley,    I   have   an  offer  to   make  to 

121 


122 

you,"  went  on  Tom  iddressing  himself  dirt*ct- 
ly  to  the  old  man  ana  utterly  ignoring  Belright 
Fogg.  "You  don't  know  me,  but  let  me  say 
that  my  father  and  my  uncle  are  worth  a  good 
deal  of  money.  I  am  in  business  in  New  York 
with  my  father,  and  our  concern  has  a  great 
deal  of  money  to  invest.  Now,  if  you  will  agree 
to  hold  this  mortgage  for  thirty  days,  I  will 
guarantee  to  have  it  paid  in  full  at  that  time 
with  every  cent  of  interest.  And  in  addition 
to  that  I  will  pay  you  twenty-five  dollars  for 
your  trouble  and  for  your  lawyer's  fees." 

"Hat  What  do  you  think  I  am?  What  do 
you  think  I  work  for?"  demanded  Belright 
Fogg,  with  a  scowl.  "My  fee  will  be  more  than 
twenty-five  dollars  in  this  case." 

"What?  What?"  shrilled  Henry  Grisley, 
turning  his  beadlike  eyes  on  the  lawyer.  "Twen 
ty-five  dollars  ?  Not  much  f  I'll  give  ye  ten  dol 
lars  and  not  a  cent  more." 

"That's  the  way  to  talk,  Mr.  Grisley.  You 
give  him  ten  dollars  and  you  keep  the  fifteen 
dollars  for  your  own  trouble,"  cried  Tom.  "So 
far  as  I  can  see  he  hasn't  done  anything  for  you 
excepting  to  come  here  to  see  Mr.  Sanderson, 
and  certainly  such  a  trip  as  this  isn't  worth  more 
than  ten  dollars." 

"My  services  are  worth  a  good  deal  more!" 


OLD  GRISLEY  COMES  TO  TERMS         123 

exclaimed  Belright  Fogg.  And  thereupon  ensued 
a  war  of  words  between  him  and  Henry  Gris- 
ley  which  lasted  the  best  part  of  a  quarter  of 
an  hour.  The  lawyer  saw  the  case  slipping  away 
from  him,  and  at  last  in  deep  disgust  he  said  he 
would  have  no  more  to  do  with  the  affair. 

-'Don't  want  ye  to !  Don't  want  ye  to !"  piped 
out  Henry  Grisley.  "Lawyers  are  a  useless  ex 
pense  anyway.  I'll  settle  this  case  myself,  and 
for  what  you've  done  I  won't  pay  more'n  ten 
dollars,  jest  remember  it!"  and  he  shook  a  long, 
bony  finger  in  Belright  Fogg's  face. 

"I  won't  be  insulted  in  this  manner!"  cried 
the  lawyer,  and  then  in  a  dudgeon  he  stormed 
from  the,  house,  leaped  into  the  cutter,  and  drove 
away. 

"A  good  riddance  to  him,"  murmured  Mr. 
Sanderson.  But  then  he  added  hastily:  "Was 
that  your  horse,  Grisley?" 

"No,  it  wasn't,"  was  the  answer.  "And  how 
I'm  to  git  home  now,  I  don't  know,"  added  the 
old  man,  helplessly. 

"Where  do  you  live?"  questioned  Tom. 

"The  other  side  of  Ashton,  on  the  Millbury 
road." 

"All  right,  then,  I'll  take  you  there  when  I 
go  down  to  the  depot,"  answered  Tom.  "That 
is,  if  you  want  to  ride  with  me," 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"I  want  to  know  jest  how  we  stand  on  this 
mortgage  question  first,"  announced  Henry 
Grisley.  "I  want  your  offer  down  in  black  and 
white." 

"You  shall  have  it,  and  the  others  can  be  wit 
nesses  to  it,"  answered  Tom,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  a  paper  was 
drawn  up  and  duly  signed  by  which  Tom  agreed 
that  the  mortgage  should  be  taken  over  by  the 
Rovers  within  the  next  thirty  days,  with  all 
back  interest  paid,  and  that  Henry  Grisley  should 
be  paid  a  bonus  of  twenty-five  dollars  for  his 
trouble  and  for  his  lawyer's  fees.  To  bind  the 
bargain  Tom  handed  the  old  man  a  ten-dollar 
bill  on  account,  which  Henry  Grisley  stowed 
away  in  a  leather  wallet  with  great  satisfaction, 

"Oh,  Tom!  it's  just  splendid  of  you  to  help 
us  out  in  this  manner!"  said  Minnie,  after  the 
transaction  had  been  concluded  and  while  old 
Grisley  and  Mr.  Sanderson  were  talking  to 
gether. 

"I'm  glad  to  be  of  service  to  you,"  answered 
,the  youth.  "I  only  hope  for  your  sake,  and  for 
the  sake  of  Songbird,  that  the  money  that  was 
stolen  is  recovered.  Songbird  is  going  to  get 
on  the  trail  of  that  rascal  if  it  is  possible  to 
do  so." 

"I  hope  they  do  locate  that  fellow,  Tom.     If 


OLD  GRISLEY  COMES  TO  TERMS         125 

they  don't  I'm  afraid  pa  will  never  forgive  poor 
John." 

"Oh,  don't  say  that,  Minnie.  'Never'  is  such 
a  long  word  it  should  not  have  been  put  in  the 
dictionary,"  and  Tom  smiled  grimly. 

Now  that  he  felt  fairly  certain  that  he  was  to 
get  his  money,  Henry  Grisley  was  in  much  bet 
ter  humor. 

"I  suppose  I  might  as  well  have  left  that  mort 
gage  as  it  was,"  he  mumbled.  "It  was  payin* 
pretty  good  interest." 

"Well,  that  was  for  you  to  decide,  Grisley," 
returned  Mr.  Sanderson.  "Personally  I  don't 
see  how  you  are  going  to  make  any  better  in 
vestment  in  these  times." 

"Well,  I've  got  thirty  days  in  which  to  make 
up  my  mind,  ain't  I  ?"  queried  the  old  man.  "If 
I  don't  want  to  close  out  the  mortgage  I  ain't 
got  to,  have  I?" 

"Certainly  you've  got  to  sell  out,  now  that  you 
have  bargained  to  do  so,"  put  in  Tom.  "You 
can't  expect  us  to  pull  our  money  out  of  another 
investment  to  put  it  into  this  one  and  then  not 
get  it." 

"Hum!  I  didn't  think  o'  that,"  mused  old 
Grisley.  He  thought  hard  for  a  moment,  purs 
ing  up  his  lips  and  twisting  his  beadlike  eyes 
first  one  way  and  then  another.  "Suppostn*  I 


126  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

was  to  say  right  now  that  I'd  keep  the  mortgage  ? 
What  would  you  do  about  it?" 

"Do  you  really  mean  it,  Grisley?"  asked  Mr. 
,'  Sanderson,  anxiously. 

"Depends  on  what  this  young  man  says,  San 
derson.  One  thing  is  sure;  I  ain't  goin'  to  give 
up  that  ten  dollars  he  give  me — and  Fogg  is  got 
to  be  paid  somehow." 

"Look  here !  if  you  want  to  keep  the  mortgage 
just  say  so,"  declared  Tom.  "It's  a  good  mort 
gage  and  pays  good  interest.  You  can't  invest 
your  money  around  here  to  any  better  advan 
tage." 

"All  right,  then,  I'll  keep  the  mortgage,"  an* 
nounced  Henry  Grisley.  "But  understand, 
young  man,  I'm  to  keep  that  ten  dollars  you  give 
me  too,"  he  added  shrewdly. 

"Well,  I  don't  see "  began  Tom,  when 

Mr.  Sanderson  interrupted  him. 

"All  right,  Grisley,  you  keep  the  ten-  dollars, 
and  you  settle  with  Fogg,"  announced  the  far 
mer.  "And  it's  understood  that  you  are  to  make 
jout  the  mortgage  for  at  least  one  year  longer." 

"Can't  ye  give  me  more'n  the  ten  dollars?" 
asked  Henry  Grisley.  "Mebbe  I  might  have  to 
pay  Fogg  more'n  that." 

"Don't  you  pay  him  a  cent  more,"  said  Tom. 
"His  services  aren't  worth  it." 


OLD  GRISLEY  COMES  TO  TERMS         127 

"I  won't  pay  him  nothin'  if  I  can  git  out  of 
it,"  responded  the  old  man,  shrewdly.  "If  I 
keep  the  mortgage,  then  what  has  he  done  for 
me?  Nothin'.  Mebbe  I'll  give  him  half  of  the 
ten  dollars.  I've  had  jest  as  much  trouble  as 
he  has." 

Following  this  discussion  the  paper  formerly 
drawn  up  was  destroyed  and  a  note  written  out 
and  signed  by  Henry  Grisley,  in  which  the  old 
man  agreed  to  renew  the  mortgage  for  one  year 
from  the  date  on  which  it  had  been  due. 

"To  tell  ye  the  truth,  I  wouldn't  have  both 
ered  about  this,"  explained  old  Grisley,  in  a 
burst  of  confidence;  "but,  you  see,  Fogg  knew 
the  mortgage  was  due  and  he  come  to  me  and 
asked  me  what  I  was  goin'  to  do  about  it.  And 
then  when  word  come  that  your  money  had 
been  stolen,  he  told  me  that  I'd  better  foreclose 
or  otherwise  I  might  git  next  to  nothin'." 

"The  underhanded  rascal!"  was  Mr.  Sander 
son's  comment. 

"That's  just  what  he  is,"  answered  Tom. 
"You  know  we  had  a  lot  of  trouble  with  him 
last  year — and  evidently  we  are  not  done  wit! 
him  yet,"  he  added,  as  he  thought  of  what  Bel- 
right  Fogg  had  said  concerning  the  snowball 
thrown  by  Sam. 

Tom  wanted  to  say  a  good  word  for  Song- 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

bird,  and  the  opportunity  came  when,  a  few  min 
utes  later,  and  before  their  departure,  Minnie 
invited  them  to  partake  of  some  cake  and  hot 
coffee.  While  Grisley  sat  down  in  the  dining- 
room,  the  youth  talked  to  the  farmer. 

"Now,  Mr.  Sanderson,  I  have  done  what  I 
could  for  you,"  he  said,  coming  at  once  to  the 
point;  "and  now  I  want  to  say  a  word  or  two 
about  poor  Songbird.  He  feels  awfully  bad 
over  this  matter,  and  he  thinks  that  you  are 
doing  him  an  injustice.  And  let  me  say  I  think 
so  too,"  and  Tom  looked  the  farmer  squarely 
in  the  eyes  as  he  spoke. 

"Yes,  I  know,  Rover,  but " 

"Now,  Mr.  Sanderson,  supposing  you  had 
been  in  Songbird's  place  and  had  been  knocked 
down  and  nearly  killed;  what  would  you  say  if 
you  were  treated  as  you  are  treating  him? 
Wouldn't  you  be  apt  to  think  that  it  was  a  pretty 
mean  piece  of  business?" 

At  these  plain  words  the  farmer  flushed  and 
for  the  instant  some  angry  words  came  to  his 
lips.  But  then  he  checked  himself  and  turned 
his  eyes  away. 

"Maybe  you  are  right,  and  maybe  I  was  a 
bit  hasty  with  the  lad,"  he  said  hesitatingly. 
"But  you  see  I  was  all  worked  up.  It  took  me 
a  good  many  years  to  save  that  four  thousand 


OLD  GRISLEY  COMES  TO  TERMS          129 

dollars,  and  now  that  I  am  getting  old  it  won't 
be  no  easy  matter  for  me  to  save  that  amount 
over  again." 

"You  won't  have  to  save  it  over  again,  Mr. 
Sanderson.  Songbird  insists  upon  it  that  just 
as  soon  as  he  gets  to  work  he's  going  to  pay  you 
back  dollar  for  dollar." 

"Did  he  tell  you  that?" 

"He  did.  And  he  told  the  others  the  same 
thing.  He'll  make  that  loss  up  to  you  if  it 
takes  him  ten  years  to  do  it.  I've  known  him 
for  a  good  many  years  now.  We  went  to  Put 
nam  Hall  Military  Academy  together  before  we 
came  to  Brill — and  I  know  he  is  a  fellow  who 
always  keeps  his  word.  He's  one  of  the  best 
friends  we  Rover  boys  have.  He's  a  little  bit 
off  on  the  subject  of  poetry,  but  otherwise  he's 
just  as  smart  and  sensible  and  true-blue  as  they 
make  'em,"  went  on  Tom,  enthusiastically.  "And 
not  only  that,  he  comes  from  a  very  nice  fam 
ily.  They  are  not  rich,  but  neither  are  they 
poor,  and  they  are  good  people  to  know  and  be 
connected  with,"  and  Tom  looked  at  the  farmer 
knowingly. 

"I  see,  Rover."  Mr.  Sanderson  drew  a  deep 
breath,  and  then  looked  through  the  doorway  to 
where  Minnie  was  pouring  out  the  coffee.  "If 
I  was  too  hasty  I — I — am  sorry." 


130  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"And  you  will  let  Songbird  come  here  and 
call  on  your  daughter?" 

"I — I  suppose  so,  if  Minnie  wants  him  to 
come." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Sanderson.  I  am  sure  you 
won't  regret  your  kindness,"  said  Tom,  and  in 
sisted  upon  grasping  the  farmer's  hand  and  shak 
ing  it  warmly.  Then  he  went  in  to  have  some 
cake  and  coffee  before  taking  his  departure  with 
old  Grisley. 

"So  you  are  going  back  to  New  York,  are 
you,  Tom?"  said  the  girl  while  he  was  being 
served. 

"Yes,  I  am  going  to  take  the  train  this  after 
noon,"  he  answered,  and  then  continued :  "I've 
got  a  loose  button  here  on  my  coat,  Minnie.  Will 
you  fasten  it  before  I  go?" 

"Sure  I  will,"  she  returned,  and  a  few  min 
utes  later  led  the  way  to  a  corner  of  the  sitting- 
room,  where  was  located  a  sewing  basket. 

"I  wasn't  worrying  much  about  losing  the  but 
ton,  Minnie,"  he  whispered.  "I  wanted  to  tell 
you  about  Songbird.  I  have  just  spoken  to  your 
father  about  him,  and  he  says  he  can  come  to 
see  you  the  same  as  he  used  to." 

"Oh,  Tom!  did  he  really  say  that?"  and  Min 
nie's  eyes  brightened  greatly. 

"Yes,  he  did.    And  as  soon  as  I  get  to  Ashton 


OLD  GRISLEY  COMES  TO  TERMS         131 

I  am  going  to  send  Songbird  a  telephone  mes 
sage  to  that  effect,"  returned  Tom. 

''Oh,  Tom!  will  you?"  and  she  looked  at  him 
pleadingly. 

"Surest  thing  you  know,  Minnie.  And  be 
lieve  me,  Songbird,  when  he  gets  that  news,  will 
be  the  happiest  fellow  in  Brill." 

"I  don't  think  he'll  be  any  happier  than  I'll 
be,"  answered  the  girl;  and  then  of  a  sudden 
blushed  deeply  and  finished  sewing  on  the  but 
ton  without  another  word. 

Ten  minutes  later  Tom  bade  the  Sandersons 
good-bye,  and,  accompanied  by  Henry  Grisley, 
drove  away  in  the  direction  of  Ashton.  Old 
Grisley  was  left  at  his  home,  and  then  Tom 
took  himself  to  the  depot,  where,  from  a  tele 
phone  booth,  he  sent  a  message  to  Songbird 
telling  the  would-be  poet  of  Brill  how  it  had 
come  about  that  Grisley  had  agreed  to  renew 
the  mortgage  for  one  year,  and  how  Mr.  San 
derson  had  said  that  Songbird  could  renew  his 
calls  upon  Minnie  if  he  so  desired. 

"Tom,  you're  a  wonder!"  said  Songbird  over 
the  telephone,  "you're  a  wonder,  that's  all  I  can 
say!" 

"Never  mind  what  I  am,"  returned  the  fun- 
loving  Rover,  kindly;  "you  just  see  if  you  can 
get  on  the  trail  of  that  fellow  who  stole  the 


132 

four  thousand  dollars,  and  at  the  same  time  you 
get  busy  and  make  up  for  lost  time  with  Min 
nie.  Good-bye!"  and  then  he  hung  up  the  re 
ceiver,  and  a  few  minutes  later  was  on  board 
the  train  bound  for  the  metropolis. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

SAM     ON    THE    ROAD 

~f  HE  next  few  days  were  very  busy  ones  for 
Sam  because  he  had  a  number  of  important 
classes  to  attend,  and  he  was  hard  at  work  finish 
ing  his  theme  on  "Civilization  in  Ancient  Cen 
tral  America."  It  was  impossible  to  call  on 
Grace,  and  so  he  did  nothing  to  find  o#t  the 
truth  about  Chester  Waltham  because  he  did 
not  wish  to  ask  the  girl  about  this  over  the  tele 
phone,  nor  did  he  see  his  way  clear  to  expressing 
his  thoughts  on  paper. 

Sunday  came  and  went,  and  Monday  morning 
brought  a  letter  to  the  youngest  Rover  which 
he  read  with  much  interest.  It  was  from  Bel- 
right  Fogg,  a  long-winded  and  formal  commu 
nication,  in  which  the  lawyer  stated  that  he  had 
been  under  medical  treatment  because  of  being 
hit  in  the  head  by  a  snowball  thrown  by  Sam, 
and  he  demanded  fifty  dollars  damages.  If  the 
same  was  not  paid  immediately,  he  stated  that 
he  would  begin  suit. 

J33 


134  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Anything  wrong,  Sam?"  questioned  Song 
bird,  who  was  present  while  Sam  was  reading 
the  letter.  "You  look  pretty  serious." 

"Read  it  for  yourself,  Songbird,"  was  the 
reply,  and  Sam  passed  the  communication  over.. 

"Well,  of  all  the  gall!"  burst  out  the  would-be' 
poet  of  Brill.  "Fifty  dollars!  Of  course  you 
won't  pay  any  such  bill  as  this  ?" 

"Not  so  you  can  notice  it,"  returned  Sam, 
sharply.  "If  he  had  sent  me  a  bill  for  five  dol 
lars  or  less  I  might  have  let  him  have  the  money 
just  to  shut  him  up.  But  fifty  dollars!  Why, 
it's  preposterous!" 

"What  do  you  propose  to  do?" 

"I  won't  do  anything  just  yet  I  want  time 
to  think  it  over  and  to  talk  it  over  with  some  of 
the  others  and,  maybe,  with  Dr.  Wallington." 

When  they  heard  of  this  demand  for  money 
from  the  rascally  lawyer,  Stanley  and  Spud  were 
as  angry  as  the  others. 

"I  don't  believe  he's  entitled  to  a  cent,"  came 
from  Stanley.  "We  were  having  that  snowball 
ing  contest  on  the  college  grounds,  and  while 
the  highway  runs  through  that  end  of  the 
grounds,  I  believe  Fogg  passed  through  there  at 
his  own  peril,  as  a  lawyer  might  put  it.  If  I 
were  you,  Sam,  I'd  put  the  whole  case  up  to  Dr. 
Wallington,  and  I'd  remind  the  doctor  of  your 


SAM  ON  THE  ROAD  135 

former  trouble  with  Fogg,  and  let  him  know 
just  what  sort  of  an  underhanded  rascal  he  is." 

"All  right,  Stanley,  I'll  do  it,"  answered  Sam. 
"I'll  go  to  the  doctor  immediately  after  classes 
this  afternoon.  Will  you  go  along?" 

"Of  course,  if  you  want  me  to." 

Four  o'clock  found  them  at  the  door  of  the 
doctor's  study.  He  looked  at  them  rather  curi 
ously  as  they  entered. 

"Well,  young  men,  what  can  I  do  for  you?" 
he  questioned  pleasantly. 

"I've  got  into  some  trouble  over  that  s»ow- 
balling  contest,"  answered  Sam;  and,  sitting 
down,  he  gave  the  head  of  Brill  the  particulars 
of  the  occurrence,  and  then  produced  the  letter 
received  from  Belright  Fogg. 

"Hum!"  mused  the  worthy  doctor,  as  he 
knitted  his  eyebrows.  He  must  have  been  pretty 
badly  hurt." 

"I  don't  think  he  was  hurt  at  all,  Doctor," 
interrupted  Stanley.  "I  was  present,  and  so 
were  a  number  of  the  other  students.  Mr.  Fogg 
had  his  hat  knocked  off,  and  that  was  about  alL 
He  wasn't  stunned  or  anything  like  that.  He 
talked  to  Sam  just  as  rationally  as  I  am  talking 
to  you,  and  all  those  standing  around  heard  him. 
Of  course,  he  was  very  angry,  not  only  because 
he  had  been  hit  but  because  the  fellow  who  had 


136        THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

thrown  the  snowball  was  Sam  Rover.  He,  of 
course,  remembered  how  the  Rovers  foiled  his 
plot  to  do  them  out  of  what  was  coming  to  them 
when  their  flying  machine  was  wrecked  on  the 
railroad,  and  also  how  they  got  the  best  of  Fogg 
and  a  company  of  brokers  in  New  York  City." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  remember  about  the  wrecked  fly 
ing  machine,"  returned  Dr.  Wallington.  "I 
know  nothing  about  this  affair  in  New  York." 

"Well,  it  was  a  very  serious  matter,  and  Fogg 
came  pretty  close  to  going  to  prison,"  answered 
Sam,  and  gave  a  few  details,  as  already  related 
in  the  volume  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys  in  New 
York." 

"Very  interesting,  Rover,  very  interesting  in 
deed,"  murmured  the  head  of  Brill.  "But  even 
that  did  not  excuse  your  hitting  this  man  in 
the  head  with  a  snowball  and  hurting  him." 

"There  is  another  point  I  would  like  to  men 
tion,"  said  Stanley.  "We  were  having  the  con 
test  on  the  college  grounds,  and  Mr.  Fogg  was 
struck  on  the  roadway  where  it  runs  through  our 
grounds." 

"Ah!  I  see.  That  might  make  a  difference. 
The  highway  is  more  or  kss  of  a  public  one,  it 
is  true,  but  it  has  never  been  turned  over  to  the 
county  authorities,  so  it  really  forms  a  part 
of  our  grounds  still.  But  of  one  thing  I  wish 


SAM  ON  THE  ROAD  137 

to  be  sure,  Rover — did  you  aim  at  Mr.  Fogg,  or 
was  the  snowballing  unintentional  ?" 

"I  didn't  see  him  at  all,"  answered  Sam. 
"Some  of  the  fellows  rushed  behind  the  bushes 
and  I  simply  let  drive  along  with  a  number  of 
others.  Then  Fogg  appeared  and  claimed  that 
I  had  hit  him  in  the  head.  I  rather  think  he 
tells  the  truth,  although  I  am  not  positive." 

"In  that  case  he  would  have  to  prove  that 
you  were  guilty.  Besides  that,  if  it  came  to  a 
matter  of  law,  he  would  have  to  prove  actual 
damages,  and  I  do  not  see  how  he  could  claim 
fifty  dollars  if  he  was  not  hurt  more  than  you 
say.  If  you  wish,  you  can  leave  the  whole  mat 
ter  in  my  hands  and  I  will  have  it  investigated." 

"Thank  you  very  much,  Doctor  Wallington," 
returned  Sam,  warmly.  "This  lifts  a  load  off 
my  mind.  Of  course  I  will  pay  whatever  you 
settle  on;"  and  so  the  matter  was  allowed  to 
rest. 

A  thaw  had  set  in  and  the  snow  began  to  dis 
appear  rapidly  from  the  roads  and  fields  around 
Brill.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  slush,  which 
rendered  some  of  the  highways  almost  impassa 
ble,  so  that  it  was  not  until  a  week  later  that 
Sam  had  an  opportunity  to  visit  Hope.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  he  had  sent  a  nice  little  note 
to  Grace  in  which  no  mention  was  made  of  the 


138  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Walthams.  He  had  looked  for  an  answer  but 
none  had  come. 

"Where  bound,  Sam?"  questioned  Songbird, 
when  he  saw  his  roommate  getting  ready  to  use 
his  automobile. 

"I'm  going  for  a  run  to  Hope.  Do  you  want  to 
come  along?"  and  Sam's  eye  had  a  twinkle  in  it. 

"You  might  run  me  around  to  the  Sanderson 
place.  It  won't  take  long  in  the  auto,"  returned 
the  would-be  poet.  "If  I  can  get  there,  I  won't 
mind  walking  back  this  evening.  I've  been  want 
ing  to  go  for  a  long  while,  but  the  roads  have 
been  so  poor  I  couldn't  make  it." 

"All  right,  Songbird,  come  ahead,"  was  Sam's 
answer;  and  a  little  later  found  the  pair  on  the 
road. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  reach  the  Sanderson 
farm,  and  as  they  entered  the  lane  Sam  tooted 
his  horn  loudly. 

"I've  brought  you  a  visitor,  Minnie !"  cried  the 
Rover  boy,  as  he  brought  the  machine  to  a  stand 
still.  "Here  is  somebody  I  know  you  won't 
want  to  see,  but  I'm  going  to  leave  him  here 
nevertheless,"  and  he  grinned  broadly. 

"Oh,  John!"  burst  out  the  farmer's  daughter, 
and  blushed  deeply.  She  came  forward  and 
shook  hands  with  both  youths.  "I  am  -more 
than  glad  to  see  you." 


SAM  ON  THE  ROAD  139 

"I  am  on  my  way  to  Hope,  so  I  won't  come  in," 
went  on  .Sam.  "How  is  everything,  Minnie?" 

"Oh,  about  as  usual,"  answered  the  girl,  and 
then  went  on:  "Of  course  you  know  all  about 
what  Tom  did  for  us?  It  was  splendid!" 

"You  haven't  heard  anything  more  regarding 
the  money?" 

"Not  a  thing,  Sam.  I  thought  maybe  you  had 
something  to  tell,"  and  the  girl  turned  from  Sam 
to  Songbird. 

"We  have  sent  out  the  photographs  and  the 
description  of  Blackie  Crowden,"  answered  the 
latter.  "They  are  going  to  the  police  in  all  the 
large  cities,  so  if  Crowden  turns  up  at  all  he'll 
be  arrested  sooner  or  later." 

After  a  few  more  words  Sam  left  the  San 
derson  place  and  headed  directly  for  Hope. 

Although  he  would  not  admit  it  even  to  him 
self,  the  youngest  Rover  was  a  good  deal  wor 
ried.  What  Tom  had  told  him  concerning  Grace 
and  the  Walthams  had  been  continually  in  his 
mind,  and  time  and  again  he  had  wondered  how 
he  should  broach  the  subject  to  Grace  and  what' 
the  answer  of  the  girl  would  be. 

"Of  course  she's  got  a  right  to  go  out  with 
whom  she  pleases,"  he  told  himself.  "But  still 
I  thought — well  I  thought  it  was  all  fixed  be 
tween  us,  that's  all." 


140  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Sam  was  so  occupied  with  his  thoughts  that 
he  paid  scant  attention  to  the  running  of  the 
automobile.  As  a  consequence  he  went  over  a 
ammber  of  sharp  stones,  and  a  minute  later  there 
came  a  loud  report  from  the  rear  of  the  machine. 

"A  blowout!  Confound  the  luck!"  he  ex 
claimed,  as  he  brought  the  automobile  to  a  stand 
still.  "And  just  when  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  get 
to  Hope!" 

There  was  nothing  else  to  do,  so,  stripping 
himself  of  his  overcoat  and  donning  a  jumper, 
Sam  got  out,  taking  with  him  some  of  the  tools 
from  under  the  automobile  seat.  It  was  a  tire 
on  one  of  the  rear  wheels  which  had  blown 
out,  and  this  wheel  he  now  jacked  up  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  on  a  new  shoe  and  inner  tube. 
As  luck  would  have  it,  the  tire  that  had  been 
cut  fit  very  tightly,  so  that  it  was  all  the  Rover 
boy  could  do  to  get  it  off  the  rim.  He  tugged 
and  twisted,  perspiring  freely,  but  it  was  some 
time  before  he  could  even  get  the  injured  shoe 
started. 

"If  I  can't  get  it  off,  what  ever  am  I  to  do?" 
he  mused.  "I  must  be  at  least  half  a  mile  from 
even  a  telephone,  and  the  nearest  garage  is  at 
Ashton.  At  this  rate  I'll  never  get  to  Hope." 

He  continued  to  work  over  the  tire,  at  last 
doing  his  best  to  pound  it  off  with  a  bit  of  iron 


SAM  ON  THE  ROAD  141 

and  a  hammer.  Then  he  gave  a  final  wrench, 
which  brought  the  tire  off  so  suddenly  that  Sam 
was  sent  flat  on  his  back  in  the  dirt  and  slush 
of  the  road.  It  was  an  occurrence  to  try  any 
body's  patience,  and  Sam  arose  in  anything  but 
a  happy  frame  of  mind.  His  back  was  covered 
with  mud,  and  a  good  deal  of  the  slushy  water 
had  penetrated  to  his  skin. 

"Ugh!  of  all  the  rank  luck!"  he  muttered,  as 
he  shook  himself.  "If  I  ever  get  this  wheel 
mended  I'll  be  a  fine  sight  to  present  myself  at 
a  fashionable  ladies'  seminary.  Why  in  the 
world  didn't  I  look  where  I  was  driving,  instead 
of  rushing  right  over  such  a  prime  collection 
of  rough  stones?" 

But  finding  fault  with  himself  did  not  mend 
matters,  and  so,  casting  the  cut  tire  aside,  Sam 
unstrapped  one  of  the  extra  shoes  he  carried 
and  got  out  another  inner  tube. 

As  if  everything  was  to  go  wrong  that  after 
noon,  the  new  shoe  proved  to  be  as  small  as 
that  which  had  been  taken  off,  and  as  a  conse 
quence  Sam  had  to  work  like  a  Trojan  for  the 
best  part  of  half  an  hour  before  he  finally  got 
it  into  place. 

"And  now  I've  got  to  pump  it  up  by  hand,"  he 
observed  to  himself,  grimly,  as  he  remembered 
that  the  power  pump  which  had  been  installed 


142  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

on  the  engine  was  out  of  order  and  could  not 
be  used.  Then  he  brought  out  the  hand  pump 
and  set  to  work  to  fill  the  new  tire  with  air. 

Sam  had  the  tire  about  three-quarters  pumped 
up  and  was  working  away  as  vigorously  as  his 
somewhat  exhausted  condition  would  permit 
when  he  heard  a  honking  of  an  automobile  horn, 
and  the  next  moment  a  machine  came  in  sight 
around  a  turn  of  the  highway.  The  car  was  a 
large  and  powerful  one  of  foreign  make,  and 
was  driven  by  a  young  man  stylishly  dressed, 
in  a  full  suit  of  furs,  and  wearing  automobile 
goggles.  Behind  him  were  two  young  ladies,  also 
wearing  furs,  and  with  veils  covering  their  faces. 

"Tough  luck!"  sang  out  the  young  man  at 
the  wheel  of  the  passing  car,  and  he  waved  one 
hand  pleasantly  towards  Sam. 

The  youth  had  been  bending  over  the  hand 
pump,  but  now,  as  the  other  automobile  swept 
by,  he  straightened  up  suddenly  and  stared  with 
open  eyes  after  the  vanishing  turnout.  He  had 
not  recognized  the  young  man  who  was  run 
ning  the  machine,  but  he  had  recognized  the  two 
young  ladies  in  the  tonneau  of  the  car. 
I  "Ada  Waltham!  And  that  was  Grace  with 
her!"  he  murmured.  "And  if  that's  so,  it  must 
have  been  Chester  Waltham  who  was  running  the 
car!" 


CHAPTER   XIV! 

DAYS     OF     WAITING 

As  SAM  gazed  after  the  vanishing  automobile 
a  pang  of  bitterness  swept  through  his  heart.  He 
remembered  all  that  his  brother  had  told  him 
concerning  Chester  Waltham,  and  he  also  re 
membered  that  Grace  had  never  mentioned  the 
young  millionaire. 

"And  she  knew  I  was  coming  over  to  Hope 
just  as  soon  as  the  roads  made  it  safe  and  pleas 
ant  for  automobiling,"  he  murmured  to  himself. 

Neither  of  the  young  ladies  in  the  tonneau  of 
the  car  had  looked  back,  so  it  was  more  than 
likely  they  had  not  recognized  him  as  he  was 
bending  over  the  hand  pump,  inflating  the  new 
tire. 

"But  maybe  she  saw  me  after  all  and  did  not 
want  to  let  on,"  he  thought  dismally.  "Maybe 
she  thought  I  wouldn't  recognize  her." 

What  to  do  next  was  a  problem  for  the  young 
collegian.  If  Grace  was  not  at  the  seminary  he 
had  no  desire  to  call  there.  He  continued  to 
143 


144  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

work  over  the  tire,  and  soon  it  was  properly 
inflated,  and  he  put  away  the  tools  he  had  used. 
His  face  was  a  study,  for  he  was  doing  some 
hard  thinking. 

"Well,  I'll  go  to  Hope  anyway,  and  if  she 
isn't  there  I'll  leave  my  card,  so  she'll  know 
I  called.  Then  Fll  see  what  she  has  to  say  about 
matters,"  he  told  himself;  and  setting  his  teeth 
somewhat  grimly  he  started  up  the  automobile 
and  continued  his  trip. 

At  the  door  of  the  seminary  he  was  met  by  a 
maid,  who  brought  him  the  information  that 
Miss  Laning  was  out.  Then  several  girls  who 
knew  Sam  came  up,  and  one  of  them  explained 
that  Grace  had  gone  automobiling. 

"She  went  with  Ada  Waltham  and  her  brother, 
Chester,"  explained  the  girl  student.  "You  see, 
Chester  has  a  brand  new  foreign  car — a  beauty 
— and  he  was  very  anxious  to  give  his  sister  and 
Grace  a  ride.  We  thought  he  might  have  asked 
some  of  us  to  go  along,  but  he  didn't,"  and  the 
girl  pouted  slightly. 

"You  don't  suppose  they  were  going1  to  stop  at 
Brill?"  questioned  Sam,  struck  by  a  sudden 
thought. 

"I  don't  think  so,  Mr.  Rover.  Ada  said  some 
thing  about  riding  to  Columbia  and  having  din 
ner  there  this  evening.  That,  you  know,  is  <juite 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  145 

a  distance,  and  the  road  doesn't  run  past  your 
college." 

"Then  I  suppose  they  won't  be  back  till  late?" 

"They  had  permission  to  stay  out  until  ten 
o'clock,"  put  in  another  of  the  girls  who  werei 
present 

"Oh!  I  see."  As  the  girls  were  looking  at 
him  rather  sharply,  Sam  felt  his  face  begin  to 
burn.  "Well,  I  hope  they  have  a  good  time," 
he  added  somewhat  hastily.  "Good-evening," 
and  then  turned  and  walked  quickly  towards  his 
automobile;  and  in  a  minute  more  was  on  his 
way  back  to  Brill. 

"I'll  wager  Grace  Laning  has  got  herself  into 
hot  water,"  was  the  comment  of  one  of  the  girls, 
as  they  watched  Sam's  departure.  "I  don't  be 
lieve  he  likes  it  one  bit  that  she  went  off  with 
the  Walthams." 

"Humph!  You  can't  expect  a  girl  to  hang 
back  when  she  is  asked  to  take  a  ride  in  a  brand 
new  automobile,  and  with  such  millionaires  as 
Chester  Waltham  and  his  sister,"  broke  in  an 
other  girl.  "I  just  wish  I  had  the  chance,"  she 
added  rather  enviously. 

In  the  meantime,  Sam  was  driving  along  the 
country  road  in  rather  a  reckless  fashion.  His 
mind  was  in  a  turmoil,  and  to  think  clearly  just 
then  seemed  to  be  out  of  the  question. 


•146  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Of  course  she  has  a  right  to  go  out  and  dine 
with  the  Walthams  if  she  wants  to,"  he  told 

himself.  "But  at  the  same  time "  And 

then  there  came  up  in  his  mind  a  hundred  rea 
sons  why  Grace  should  have  refused  the  invi 
tation  and  waited  for  him  to  call  upon  her. 

"Hello!  you  are  back  early,"  remarked  Spud, 
when  Sam  appeared  at  Brill.  "I  thought  you 
were  going  to  make  an  evening  of  it." 

"I  had  some  bad  luck  on  the  road,"  replied 
Sam,  rather  sheepishly.  "I  had  a  blowout,  and 
in  trying  to  get  the  tire  off  I  slipped  and  went 
flat  on  my  back  in  the  mud  and  slush,"  he  con 
tinued. 

"Is  that  so?  Well,  that's  too  bad,  Sam.  So 
you  came  home  to  get  cleaned  up,  eh  ?  I  thought 
your  girl  thought  so  much  of  you  that  she 
wouldn't  care  if  you  called  even  when  you  were 
mussed  up,"  and  at  this  little  joke  Spud  passed 
on,  much  to  the  Rover  boy's  relief. 

The  only  occupant  of  Number  25  who  seemed 
to  be  happy  that  night  was  Songbird,  who  came 
in  whistling  gaily. 

"Had  a  fine  time  with  Minnie,"  he  declared — 
"best  time  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  I  tell  you,  Sam, 
she's  a  wonderful  girl." 

"So  she  is,  Songbird." 

"Of  course,  you  don't  think  she's  half  as  won- 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  147 

derful  as  Grace,"  went  on  the  would-be  poet  of 
Brill;  "but,  then,  that's  to  be  expected." 

"How  did  Mr.  Sanderson  treat  you?"  broke 
in  Sam,  hastily,  to  shift  the  subject. 

"Oh,  he  treated  me  better  than  he  did  before." 
Songbird's  face  sobered  for  a  minute.  "To  be 
sure  he  feels  dreadfully  sore  over  the  loss  of 
that  four  thousand  dollars.  But  I  assured  him 
that  I  and  the  authorities  were  doing  all  in  our 
power  to  get  the  money  back,  and  I  also  as 
sured  him  that  if  it  wasn't  recovered  I  expected 
to  pay  it  back  just  as  soon  as  I  could  earn  it. 
Of  course  he  thinks  I  am  talking  through  my 
hat  about  earning  such  a  big  amount,  but  just 
the  same  I  am  going  to  do  it  just  as  soon  as  I 
graduate  from  Brill.  I'd  go  to  work  to-morrow 
instead  of  staying  here  if  It  wasn't  that  I  had 
promised  my  folks  that  I  would  graduate  from 
Brill,  and  as  near  the  top  of  my  class  as  I  could 
get.  If  I  left  now,  my  mother  would  be  heart 
broken." 

"Of  course  your  folks  know  about  the  loss, 
.Songbird?" 

"Yes.  I  wrote  them  the  whole  particulars 
just  as  soon  as  I  could,  and  I've  let  them  know 
what  we  are  doing  now." 

"Do  they  blame  you  for  the  loss?" 

"My  father  thinks  I  might  have  been  a  little 


148  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

more  careful,  but  my  mother  says  she  thinks 
it  is  Mr.  Sanderson's  fault  that  he  let  me  get 
such  an  amount  of  money  in  cash  and  carry  it 
on  such  a  lonely  road.  But  dad  is  all  right,  and 
in  his  last  letter  he  said  he  could  let  Mr.  San 
derson  have  a  thousand  dollars  if  that  would 
help  matters  out." 

"Had  Mr.  Sanderson  heard  any  more  from 
old  Grisley,  or  Belright  Fogg?" 

"Yes.  He  saw  Grisley  and  the  old  man  said 
the  lawyer  was  boiling  mad  because  he  had 
agreed  to  let  the  mortgage  run  for  another  year. 
Fogg  wouldn't  accept  the  five  dollars  that  old 
Grisley  offered  him  for  his  trouble,  so  then  Gris 
ley  would  give  him  nothing;  and  there  the  mat 
ter  stands." 

"He'll  get  something  out  of  Grisley  if  he  pos 
sibly  can.  My  opinion  is,  since  Fogg  lost  his 
job  with  the  railroad  company,  and  made  such 
a  fizzle  of  his  doings  in  New  York  City,  he  is 
in  bad  shape  financially  and  eager  to  get  his 
hands  on  some  money  in  any  old  way  possible." 

"Have  you  settled  the  snowball  affair  with 
him  yet?" 

"No.  I'm  going  to  see  Dr.  Wellington  about 
it  to-morrow,"  answered  Sam. 

The  Rover  boy  had  rather  expected  some  sort 
of  a  communication  from  Grace  the  next  day, 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  149 

and  he  was  keenly  disappointed  when  no  letter 
came  and  when  she  failed  to  call  him  up  on  the 
telephone.  Several  times  he  felt  on  the  point 
of  calling  her  up,  but  each  time  set  his  teeth 
hard  and  put  it  off. 

"It's  up  to  her  to  say  something — not  me," 
he  told  himself.  "She  must  know  how  I  feel 
over  the  affair." 

When  Sam  called  upon  Dr.  Wallington,  the 
head  of  Brill  met  him  with  rather  an  amused 
smile. 

"I  suppose  you  want  to  see  me  in  regard  to 
that  daim  of  Mr.  Fogg's,"  he  said. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Well,  I  have  had  one  of  the  professors  call 
on  the  lawyer  and  bind  him  down  to  just  ex 
actly  what  happened  and  how  badly  he  was  hurt. 
It  seems  that  he  did  not  go  to  any  doctor  at  all, 
although  he  did  see  a  friend  of  his,  a  Doctor 
Slamper,  on  the  street." 

"Doctor  Slamper!"  cried  Sam.  "Oh,  I  re 
member  him.  He's  the  fellow  who  came  here 
with  Mr.  Fogg  at  the  time  we  put  in  our  claim 
for  damages  on  account  of  the  wrecked  biplane." 

"Ah,  indeed!  I  remember,"  and  Dr.  Walling 
ton  nodded  knowingly. 

"And  what  does  Mr.  Fogg  want  us  to  do?" 
questioned  Sam. 


150  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"At  first,  as  you  know,  he  wanted  fifty  dollars. 
Then  he  came  down  to  twenty-five,  and  at  last 
to  fifteen.  Then  we  brought  to  his  attention 
the  fact  that  the  snowballing  contest  had  taken 
place  on  the  college  grounds,  and  that  it  was  his 
own  fault  that  he  had  become  mixed  up  in  the 
affair.  This  brought  on  quite  an  argument,  but 
in  the  end  Mr.  Fogg  agreed  to  accept  six  dol 
lars,  which  he  said  would  pay  for  three  con 
sultations  with  Dr.  Slamper  at  two  dollars  per 
consultation,"  and  the  good  doctor  smiled  rather 
grimly. 

"And  did  you  pay  the  six  dollars,  Doctor?'* 

"Not  yet,  Rover.  I  expected,  however,  to 
send  him  a  check  for  that  amount  to-morrow, 
provided  you  are  satisfied." 

"I  think  I'll  have  to  be,  Dr.  Wallington.  I 
suppose  it's  rather  a  cheap  way  out  of  the  diffi 
culty,  although  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  don't  be 
lieve  he  is  entitled  to  a  cent." 

"You  may  be  right,  Rover.  But  six  dollars, 
I  take  it,  is  not  so  very  large  a  price  to  pay  for 
so  much  fun — I  mean,  of  course,  the  fun  of  the 
snowballing  contest  in  which,  so  they  tell  me, 
you  were  the  one  to  capture  the  banners  of  the 
opposition." 

"You're  right,  sir.  And  I'm  satisfied,  and 
you  can  place  the  amount  on  my  bill,"  answered 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  151 

Sam;  and  then  he  bowed  himself  out  of  the  doc 
tor's  office. 

Another  day  passed,  and  still  there  came  no 
word  to  Sam  from  Hope.  He  was  very  much 
worried,  but  did  his  best  not  to  show  it. 

"Call  for  all  baseball  candidates  at  the  gym 
to-morrow  afternoon!"  announced  Bob,  during 
the  lunch  hour. 

"I  don't  think  I  want  to  go  in  for  baseball 
this  spring,"  returned  Sam. 

"I  heard  something  of  that  from  some  of 
the  other  fellows,  Sam,"  interrupted  Bob.  "It 
won't  do.  We  need  you  and  we  are  bound  to 
have  you." 

The  roads  were  now  drying  up  rapidly,  and 
that  afternoon  Spud  asked  Sam  if  he  did  not 
want  to  walk  to  Ashton. 

"I've  got  a  few  things  I  want  to  get  at  the 
stores,"  said  Spud.  "Come  along,  the  hike  on 
the  road  will  do  you  good." 

"All  right,  Spud,  I'll  go  along,  for  I  am  tired 
of  writing  themes  and  studying,"  answered  Sam. 
But  it  was  not  his  theme  and  his  lessons  that 
worried  the  boy.  Thinking  about  Grace,  and 
waiting  continually  for  some  sort  of  word  from 
her,  had  given  him  not  only  a  heart  ache  but 
a  headache  as  well. 

When  the  boys  arrived  at  Ashton  '.hey  sep- 


152  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

arated  for  a  short  while,  Spud  to  get  fitted  with 
a  new  pair  of  shoes  while  Sam  went  to  another 
place  in  quest  of  a  new  cap.  The  Rover  boy 
had  just  made  his  purchase,  and  was  leaving 
the  store  to  rejoin  Spud  when  he  heard  some 
one  call  his  name,  and  looking  around  saw  Andy 
Royce  approaching. 

"I  just  thought  I'd  ask  you  if  you  had  heard 
anything  about  that  Blackie  Crowden  yet,"  re 
marked  the  gardener  from  Hope,  as  he  ap 
proached. 

"Not  yet,  Royce.  But  they  have  sent  out  a 
good  description  of  him,  along  with  copies  of 
his  photograph,  so  the  authorities  think  they  will 
get  him  sooner  or  later." 

"I've  heard  something  that  maybe  you  would 
like  to  know,"  went  on  Andy  Royce.  "I've  heard 
that  Crowden  was  over  at  Leadenfield,  to  a  small 
roadhouse  kept  by  a  man  named  Bissette,  a 
Frenchman." 

"When  was  this?"  demanded  Sam,  with  in 
terest. 

"Either  the  day  of  the  assault  or  the  day 
after.  Bissette  didn't  seem  to  know  exactly.  I 
happened  to  be  there  buying  some  potatoes  for 
the  seminary — you  see  Bissette  is  a  kind  of  agent 
for  some  farmers  of  that  neighborhood.  I  men 
tioned  the  robbery  to  him  and  spoke  about  the 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  153 

suspicion  about  Crowden,  and  he  was  very  much 
surprised.  He  said  Crowden  was  there  for  a 
couple  of  hours  using  the  telephone,  and  then 
he  left  the  place  when  somebody  drove  up  in 
a  cutter." 

"Do  you  mean  that  Crowden  went  off  with 
the  other  person  in  the  cutter?" 

"Bissette  thinks  so,  although  he  ain't  sure, 
because  as  soon  as  Crowden  went  out,  Bissette 
turned  to  do  some  work  inside  and  forgot  all 
about  him." 

"Did  Bissette  have  any  idea  who  the  man  in 
the  cutter  was?" 

"He  wasn't  sure  about  that  either,  but  he  kind 
of  thought  it  was  a  lawyer  who  used  to  work 
for  the  railroad  company — a  man  named  Fogg/' 


BASEBALL     TALK 

"FOGG!"  cried  Sam,  in  astonishment.  "Do 
you  mean  Belright  Fogg?" 

"That's  the  man — the  fellow  who  used  to  do 
the  legal  work  for  the  railroad  here." 

"Was  this  Bissette  sure  it  was  Fogg?" 

"No,  he  wasn't  sure,  because  he  didn't  pay 
very  much  attention.  But  he  said  if  it  wasn't 
this  Fogg,  it  was  some  one  who  looked  very 
much  like  him,"  answered  Andy  Royce. 

This  was  all  he  could  tell  Sam  of  importance, 
and  the  Rover  boy  went  off,  to  rejoin  his  chum 
in  a  very  thoughtful  mood. 

"That's  rather  a  queer  state  of  affairs,"  was 
Spud's  comment,  when  told  of  the  matter.  "If 
Fogg  met  this  Blackie  Crowden,  what  do  you 
suppose  it  was  for?" 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea,  Spud." 

"Do  you  think  he  was  mixed  up  in  this  rob 
bery?" 

"No,  I  can't  say  that.    The  assault  was  com- 


BASEBALL  TALK  155 

mitted  by  one  man,  and  so  far  they  haven't 
been  able  to  find  any  accomplices." 

When  Sam  returned  to  Brill  he  at  once  sought 
out  Songbird  and  told  him  of  what  he  had  heard. 
The  would-be  poet  of  Brill  was  even  more  sur 
prised  than  Spud  had  been. 

"I  wouldn't  put  it  above  Belright  Fogg  to 
be  in  with  a  rascal  like  Blackie  Crowden,"  was 
Songbird's  comment.  "He  did  his  best  against 
you  in  that  flying  machine  affair  and  in  that  af 
fair  in  New  York  City." 

"I've  got  an  idea,"  said  Sam,  after  a  slight 
pause.  "I  sm  tc  pay  him  six  dollars'  damages 
for  hitting  him  in  the  head  with  that  snowball. 
Doctor  Wallington  was  going  to  send  him  a 
check.  I've  got  a  good  notion  to  ask  the  doctor 
to  let  me  pay  the  bill  and  get  Fogg's  receipt  for 
it.  That  will  give  me  a  chance  to  pump  him 
about  this  matter." 

"Do  it,  Sam!  And  I'll  go  along,"  burst  ont 
his  chum,  quickly.  "If  this  Belright  Fogg  knows 
Blackie  Crowden  I  want  to  know  it." 

Permission  was  readily  granted  by  the  head 
of  Brill  to  Sam  to  pay  the  bill,  and  that  evening1 
the  Rover  boy  and  Songbird  took  the  former's 
automobile  and  rode  over  to  where  Belright 
Fogg  boarded,  on  the  outskirts  of  Ashton.  They 
found  the  lawyer  just  preparing  to  go  out,  and 


156  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

he  showed  that  he  was  very  much  surprised  to 
see  them. 

"I  suppose  you  are  here  to  pay  that  bill  you 
owe  me,"  he  said  stiffly  to  Sam. 

"I  am,  Mr.  Fogg,"  was  the  answer.  "I  believe 
you  agreed  to  accept  six  dollars.  If  you  will 
make  out  a  receipt  for  the  amount  I  will  give 
you  Doctor  Wellington's  check." 

"Humph!  isn't  the  check  receipt  enough?"  de 
manded  the  lawyer. 

"Perhaps.  But  I  would  prefer  to  have  a  re 
ceipt  showing  exactly  what  the  money  is  being 
paid  for,"  answered  Sam.  "As  a  lawyer  you 
must  know  it  is  best  to  have  these  things 
straight." 

"Oh,  very  well.  Come  in  and  I'll  write  out 
your  receipt  for  you,"  announced  Belright  Fogg, 
coldly,  and  ushered  the  pair  into  a  sitting-room. 

Sam  had  asked  Songbird  to  say  nothing  about 
Blackie  Crowden  until  the  matter  of  the  snow 
ball  injury  was  settled.  A  receipt  for  the  money 
was  quickly  penned  by  Belright  Fogg. 

"There,  I  presume  that  will  be  satisfactory," 
he  said,  as  he  showed  it  to  Sam. 

"That's  all  right,  Mr.  Fogg,"  was  the  answer. 
"And  here  is  your  check."  Sam  paused  for  a 
moment  while  the  lawyer  looked  the  check  over. 
"By  the  way,  Mr.  Fogg,  I  understand  you  were 


BASEBALL  TALK  157 

in  Leadenfield  a  few  days  ago  at  the  tav«rn 
kept  by  Bissette." 

"What's  that  ?"  shot  out  the  lawyer,  somewhat 
startled. 

"I  said  that  I  understood  that  you  were  in 
Leadenfield  a  few  days  ago  at  the  tavern  kept 
by  Bissette." 

"And  that  you  met  a  man  there  named  Blackie 
Crowden,"  broke  in  Songbird,  quickly. 

"I — I  was  in  Leadenfield  some  days  ago  on 
business,"  answered  Belright  Fogg,  hesitatingly, 
"but  I  wasn't  at  the  Bissette  place,  or  anywhere 
near  it." 

"But  you  met  a  man  named  Blackie  Crow- 
den?"  queried  Sam. 

The  lawyer  glared  at  the  Rover  boy  and  also 
at  Songbird. 

"Blackie  Crowden?  I  don't  know  such  an 
individual — at  least,  not  by  name." 

"He  is  a  fellow  who  used  to  work  in  Hoover's 
livery  stable  in  Center  Haven — a  man  who  stut 
ters  greatly." 

"Don't  know  the  fellow,"  was  the  prompt  re 
sponse. 

"You  mean  to  say  you  didn't  meet  Blackie 
Crowden  at  Bissette's?"  cried  Songbird. 

"Look  here,  young  man,  what  are  you  driving1 
at  ?"  stormed  Belright  Fogg,  in  a  sudden  temper. 


158  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"You've  no  right  to  question  me  in  this  manner. 
What  is  it  all  about?" 

"We  have  it  on  good  authority  that  you  met 
this  man,  Blackie  Crowden,  outside  of  Bissette's 
place,"  answered  Sam,  stoutly. 

"Who  is  this  man  you  mention?" 

"Being  a  lawyer  and  interested  in  public  af 
fairs,  you  ought  to  know  that,  Mr.  Fogg,"  an 
swered  Songbird.  "He  is  the  man  who,  we 
think,  knocked  me  down  and  robbed  me  of  Mr. 
Sanderson's  four  thousand  dollars." 

"Ah!  I — I  remember  now.  And  so  you  are 
trying  to  connect  me  up  with  that  rascal,  are 
you?  What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"Never  mind  what  we  mean,"  declared  the 
would-be  poet  of  Brill,  stoutly.  "I  want  to  get 
at  the  facts  in  this  matter.  If  you  say  you  didn't 
meet  Crowden,  all  right,  we'll  let  it  go  at  that. 
But  there  are  others  who  say  you  did  meet 
him." 

"It's  false — absolutely  false !"  roared  Fogg,  but 
as  he  spoke  his  face  paled  greatly.  "I — I  don't 
,know  this  fellow,  Crowden — never  met  him  in, 
my  life.  This  is  all  a  put-up  job  on  your  part 
to  make  trouble  for  me,"  and  he  glared  savagely 
at  both  Songbird  and  Sam. 

"It's  no  put-up  job,  Mr.  Fogg.  We  intend  to 
get  at  the  bottom  of  this  sooner  or  later,"  an- 


BASEBALL  TALK  159 

swered  Sam,  as  calmly  as  he  could.  "Come  on, 
Songbird." 

"See  here !  you're  not  going  to  leave  this  house 
until  I  know  just  what  you  are  driving  at," 
roared  the  lawyer.  "I  won't  have  you  besmirch 
ing  my  fair  name!" 

"Your  fair  name!"  returned  Sam,  sarcasti 
cally.  "There  is  no  necessity  for  you  to  talk  that 
way,  Mr.  Fogg.  I  know  you  thoroughly.  It" 
you  want  to  rake  up  the  past  you  can  do  it,  but 
I  advise  you  not  to  do  so." 

"I — I "  began  the  lawyer,  and  then 

stopped,  not  knowing  how  to  proceed. 

"We  might  as  well  go,"  broke  in  Songbird. 
"But  perhaps,  Mr.  Fogg,  you  haven't  heard  the 
end  of  this,"  added  the  would-be  poet  of  Brill; 
and  though  the  lawyer  continued  to  storm  and 
argue,  the  two  chums  left  the  house  and  were 
soon  on  the  return  to  Brill. 

"I'm  afraid  we  didn't  gain  anything  by  that 
move,"  was  Sam's  comment,  as  they  rode  along. 
"He'll  be  on  his  guard  now,  and  that  will  make 
it  harder  than  ever  to  connect  him  with  this 
affair — provided  he  really  is  mixed  up  in  it." 

"He  acted  pretty  startled  when  we  put  it  up 
to  him,"  returned  Songbird.  He  heaved  a  deep 
sigh.  "Well,  maybe  some  day  this  matter  will 
be  cleared  up,  but  it  doesn't  look  like  it  now." 


160  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Several  days  passed,  and  Sam  stuck  to  his  les 
sons  as  hard  as  ever.  Once  or  twice  he  thought 
of  calling  up  Grace  at  Hope  or  of  writing  her 
a  note,  but  each  time  he  put  it  off,  why,  he  could 
not  exactly  explain  even  to  himself.  But  then 
came  a  rift  in  the  clouds  and  the  sun  shone  as 
brightly  as  ever.  A  note  came  from  Grace,  which 
he  read  with  much  satisfaction.  A  part  of  the 
communication  ran  as  follows: 

"I  was  thinking  all  manner  of  mean  things 
about  you  because  you  did  not  answer  my  note 
of  last  week,  when — what  do  you  think?  The 
note  came  back  to  me,  brought  in  by  one  of  the 
smaller  girls  here,  Jessie  Brown.  Jessie  was 
going  to  town  that  day,  and  I  gave  her  the  note 
to  post  and  she  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  her  coat, 
along  with  several  other  letters,  so  she  says.  Well, 
the  pocket  had  a  hole  in  it,  and,  as  you  might 
know,  my  own  particular  letter  had  to  slip 
through  that  hole  into  the  lining  of  the  coat. 
The  rest  of  the  letters  were  mailed,  but  my  let 
ter  remained  in  the  lining  until  this  morning, 
when  Jessie  came  to  me  with  tears  in  her  eyes 
to  tell  of  what  had  happened.  I  felt  pretty  angry 
over  it,  but  glad  to  know  that  you  were  not 
guilty  of  having  received  the  note  and  then  not 
answering  it. 


BASEBALL  TALK  l6l 

"In  the  note  I  told  you  how  sorry  I  was  to 
find  that  you  had  called  here  while  I  was  away. 
You  see,  Ada  Waltham's  brother,  Chester,  came 
on  in  his  new  automobile — a  big  foreign  affair, 
very  splendid.  He  wanted  to  give  Ada  a  ride, 
and  invited  me  to  go  along,  so  I  went,  and  we 
had  a  very  nice  time.  Chester  is  an  expert 
auto  driver,  and  the  way  we  flew  along  over  the 
roads  was  certainly  marvelous.  He  insisted  upon 
it  that  we  dine  with  him.  And,  oh,  Sam  I  such 
a  spread  as  it  was! 

"You  know  he  is  a  millionaire  in  his  own  right 
(Ada  has  a  great  lot  of  money  too).  We  cer 
tainly  had  one  grand  time,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  it.  He  got  a  beautiful  bouquet  for  the 
table,  and  also  bouquets  for  Ada  and  me  to  take 
home,  along  with  boxes  of  the  most  beautiful 
chocolates  I  ever  ate.  But  just  the  same,  I  am 
awfully  sorry  I  wasn't  at  the  seminary  when 
you  called,  and  I  don't  understand  why  you 
haven't  been  up  since,  or  why  you  didn't  tele 
phone  to  me. 

"One  of  the  girls  here  says  they  are  orgaatzing1 
the  Brill  baseball  nine  for  the  coming  season, 
and  that  they  want  you  to  play  as  you  cfid  last 
year.  If  you  do  join  the  nine,  I  hope  you  have 
the  same  success  or  more.  And  you  can  rest 
assured  that  I  will  be  on  the  grandstand  to  offer 


162  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

yon  all  the  encouragement  possible.  I  hope  that 
Dick  and  Tom  come  on  to  see  the  game  and 
bring  Dora  and  Nellie  along,  and  then  we  can 
ihave  the  nicest  kind  of  a  jolly  party.  Ada  Wal- 
tham,  as  you  may  know,  loves  baseball  games 
too,  and  she  says  that  she  is  going  to  have  Ches 
ter  here  at  that  time  to  take  her  over  to  Brill, 
unless  somebody  else  turns  up  to  accompany 
her." 

"All  right,  as  far  as  it  goes,"  mused  Sam,  on 
reading  this  note.  "But  I  wish  Chester  Waltham 
would  stay  away.  Of  course  I  can't  blame  Grace 
for  liking  a  ride  in  a  big,  foreign  car  and  being 
invited  out  to  such  a  first-class  spread  as  she 
mentions,  but,  just  the  same,  I  wish  she  wouldn't 
go  with  him." 

However,  the  communication  brightened  his 
thoughts  considerably,  and  it  was  only  a  little 
while  later  when  he  talked  to  the  girl  over  the 
telephone  and  made  an  arrangement  for  a  ride 
in  the  automobile  on  the  following  Saturday 
afternoon,  Songbird  and  Minnie  to  accompany 
them. 

The  four  went  off  to  Center  Haven,  where 
iSam  spread  himself  on  a  dinner  which  was  cer 
tainly  all  that  could  be  desired.  Grace  was  in 
one  of  her  most  winning  moods,  and  when  the 


BASEBALL  TALK  163 

young  couple  parted  the  cloud  that  had  hovered 
over  them  seemed  to  be  completely  dispelled. 

As  winter  waned  and  the  grass  on  the  cam 
pus  took  on  a  greener  hue,  baseball  matters  came 
once  more  to  the  fore  at  Brill.  Bob  Grimes, 
who  played  at  shortstop,  was  again  the  captain 
of  the  team,  and  it  was  generally  understood 
that  Spud  Jackson  would  again  occupy  the  posi 
tion  of  catcher. 

"We're  going  to  miss  Tom  Rover  a  good  deal 
this  year,"  said  Bob  to  some  of  the  others.  Dur 
ing  the  year  past  Tom  had  been  the  candidate 
for  head  twirler  against  both  Bill  Harney  and 
Dare  Phelps  and  had  shown  that  he  was  the 
superior  of  both  of  the  others. 

"Well,  you  haven't  got  Tom  Rover,  so  you've 
got  to  make  the  best  of  it,"  answered  Stanley. 
"Phelps  has  been  doing  pretty  well,  I  understand, 
so  you  might  as  well  give  him  a  chance." 

"Yes,  I  thought  I'd  do  that,"  answered  the 
team  captain.  "Harney  isn't  in  it  at  all,  and 
doesn't  want  even  to  try.  I'll  give  Phelps  a 
chance  and  also  Jack  Dudley."  Dudley  was  a 
sophomore  whose  swift  pitching  had  become  the 
general  talk  of  the  college.  He,  however,  was 
rather  erratic,  and  liable  to  go  to  pieces  in  a 
crisis. 

As  my  old  readers  know,  Sam  had  joined  the 


164  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

team  the  year  before  only  after  considerable 
coaxing,  and  then  merely  as  a  substitute.  Dur 
ing  the  middle  of  the  great  game  he  had  been 
assigned  to  left  field  in  place  of  a  player  who 
had  twisted  his  foot.  In  that  position  he  had 
caught  a  fly  in  a  thoroughly  marvelous  manner, 
and  he  had  also  managed,  when  at  the  bat,  to 
bring  in  a  home  run. 

"We've  simply  got  to  have  you  on  the  team, 
Sam,"  said  the  captain,  a  little  later,  when  he 
caught  the  Rover  boy  in  one  of  the  corridors. 
"Your  hanging  back  this  year  is  rather  hurting 
our  chances  of  winning." 

"But,  Bob,  I  want  to  pay  attention  to  my  les 
sons,"  pleaded  Sam.  "I  can't  afford  to  get  be 
hind." 

"You'll  not  get  behind,"  was  the  answer. 
"Aren't  we  all  striving  to  graduate?  You  ought 
to  be  willing  to  do  as  much  as  Spud  and  myself." 

"All  right,  then,  Bob,  if  you  are  going  to  put 
it  that  way,"  was  the  answer,  and  thereupon  Sam 
allowed  his  name  to  go  on  the  list  of  prospective 
players  and  at  once  began  training. 

After  that  matters  moved  along  swiftly.  The 
committee  from  Brill  met  with  the  committee 
from  Roxley  and  arrangements  were  perfected 
for  the  coming  game.  As  the  contest  had  taken 
place  the  year  previous  at  Roxley,  it  was,  of 


BASEBALL  TALK  165 

course,  decided  that  the  game  this  year  should 
be  played  at  Brill.  Then  men  were  set  at  work 
to  place  the  diamond  in  the  best  possible  shape 
for  the  contest,  and  the  grandstand  was  repaired, 
and  a  new  set  of  bleachers  put  up  to  accommo 
date  a  larger  crowd  than  ever. 

"This  is  a  baseball  year,"  announced  Bob 
Grimes,  "so  we  can  expect  a  big  rush  of  visi 
tors."  The  nine  had  already  won  three  games  of 
minor  importance. 

"They  tell  me  Roxley  has  got  the  best  team 
it  ever  put  in  the  field,"  announced  Stanley  one 
day,  after  he  had  been  over  to  the  other  insti 
tution.  "They've  got  three  dandy  pitchers,  and 
two  outfielders  who  are  crackerjacks  at  batting. 
One  of  their  men  told  me  that  they  expected 
to  walk  all  over  us." 

"Well,  we'll  see  about  that,"  returned  Bob 
Grimes.  "We've  got  a  good  team  of  our  own, 
and  I  know  every  one  of  us  will  try  to  play  his 
head  off  to  win." 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME 

THE  day  for  the  great  baseball  game  between 
Brill  and  Roxley  dawned  clear  and  bright.  Sam 
had  received  word  that  both  of  his  brothers 
with  their  wives  would  be  on,  reaching  Ashton 
early  in  the  morning.  He  drove  down  to  the 
depot  in  his  automobile  to  meet  the  newcomers. 

When  the  train  rolled  into  the  station  Dick 
Rover,  as  tall  and  handsome  as  ever,  was  the 
first  to  alight,  quickly  followed  by  his  wife, 
Dora.  Then  came  Tom  and  Nellie. 

"Hello,  Sam,  my  boy!"  exclaimed  Dick,  as  he 
strode  up  and  shook  hands,  quickly  followed  by 
his  wife.  "How  are  you  these  days?  But  it  is 
needless  to  ask,  for  you  look  the  picture  of 
health." 

"Oh,  I'm  feeling  fine,"  answered  Sam,  smiling 
broadly. 

"Ready  to  play  winning  baseball,  I  presume," 
came  from  Dora,  as  she  gave  him  a  warm  smile. 

"Surest  thing  you  know,  Dora,"  he  answered. 
"Oh,  we've  got  to  win  from  Roxley  to-day!" 
166 


THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME       167 

"Yes,  but  you  haven't  got  me  to  pitch  for 
you  to-day,  Sam,"  broke  in  Tom,  as  he  came  up 
and  shook  hands.  "Who  is  going  to  do  the 
'twirling  for  Brill?" 

"They  are  going  to  try  Dare  Phelps  first,  and 
if  he  can't  make  it,  they  will  try  Jack  Dudley, 
one  of  the  sophs." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  remember  Dudley  when  he  was 
a  freshman,"  answered  Tom.  "Pretty  clever  fel 
low,  too." 

"How  is  it  you  didn't  bring  Grace  with  yon, 
Sam?"  questioned  Nellie,  as  she  took  his  hand. 

"I'm  to  take  you  two  girls  up  to  Hope  after 
I  leave  Tom  and  Dick  at  Brill,"  explained  th* 
youngest  Rover.  "Then  we  are  to  get  all  of  yon 
girls  directly  after  lunch.  Grace  wanted  it  tha* 
way." 

"My!  but  this  is  a  touch  of  old  times,"  re 
marked  Dick,  as  he  climbed  into  the  automobile- 
"Let  me  take  the  wheel,  Sam." 

"Certainly,  if  you  want  to,"  was  the  quick 
reply,  and  a  few  minutes  later,  with  the  oldest 
Rover  running  the  machine,  the  whole  party  sef 
off  for  Brill. 

"How  are  matters  going  in  New  York,  Dick  ?'* 
questioned  Sam,  while  they  rode  along. 

"We  are  doing  quite  well,  Sam.  Of  course, 
we  are  having  a  little  difficulty  in  certab  «&•• 


168          THE  'ROVER  BOYS  ON.  'A  TOUR 

rections,  but  that  is  to  be  expected.  You  must 
remember  in  Wall  Street  the  rivalries  are  very 
keen.  I  suppose  some  of  our  competitors  would 
like  to  put  us  out  of  business." 

"What  about  that  tour  Tom  mentioned?" 

"I  think  we  can  make  it,  Sam.  I'll  know  more 
about  it  a  little  later.  There  is  no  hurry,  you 
know,  because  you've  got  to  graduate  first,"  and 
Dick  smiled  knowingly  at  his  brother. 

Songbird  and  some  of  the  other  collegians 
were  waiting  to  welcome  Dick  and  Tom,  and  as 
soon  as  they  had  left  the  automobile  Sam  con 
tinued  on  the  way  to  Hope. 

"Oh !  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you !"  cried  Grace,  as 
she  rushed  out  and  kissed  her  sister  and  her 
cousin.  "Come  right  in.  We  are  going  to  have 
a  special  lunch  in  your  honor.  Sam,  I'm  sorry 
I  can't  invite  you,  but  you  know  what  the  rules 
are." 

"Never  mind.  Tom  will  be  on  hand  at  one- 
thirty  promptly,"  answered  the  youth.  "I  hope 
you'll  all  be  ready,  for  we  can't  delay,  you 
know." 

"We'll  be  ready,  don't  fear,"  answered  Grace. 

When  Sam  returned  to  Brill  he  found  a  crowd 
of  the  seniors  surrounding  his  brothers,  telling 
them  of  the  many  things  that  had  happened  in 
and  around  the  college  since  they  had  left. 


THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME       169 

"It's  a  jolly  shame  we  can't  have  you  in  the 
box  to-day,  Tom,"  said  Bob  Grimes.  "I'm  afraid 
we'll  need  you  sorely,"  he  added  rather  anxiously, 
j  "Why  don't  you  put  William  Philander  Tubbs 
in?"  suggested  Tom,  with  a  grin.  "Don't  you 
remember  what  a  famous  ball  player  he  was?" 
And  then  there  was  a  general  laugh,  at  the  recol 
lection  of  a  joke  that  had  once  been  played  on 
the  dudish  college  student. 

The  air  was  filled  with  talk  of  the  coming 
game,  and  but  scant  attention  was  paid  to  the 
lunch  provided  for  the  collegians  and  their 
guests.  As  soon  as  the  meal  was  over,  Tom  took 
the  Rover's  automobile  and  started  for  Hope  to 
bring  Grace  and  the  others.  When  he  arrived 
there  he  found  his  wife,  Dora  and  Grace  talk 
ing  to  Ada  Waltham  and  her  brother  Chester, 
to  whom  he  was  introduced. 

"We  are  going  over  to  the  game,"  announced 
Chester  Waltham.  "Ada  and  I  are  going  to  take 
half  a  dozen  of  the  young  ladies." 

"Fine!"  returned  Tom.  "The  more  the  mer- 
,  rier!  Don't  forget  to  tell  the  girls  to  whoop 
(her  up  for  Brill." 

"I  think  the  most  of  them  will  do  that,"  said 
Ada  Waltham ;  "although  one  or  two  of  them  are 
Roxley  sympathizers." 

"Well,   Brill   can't   have  everything   its   own 


170  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

way,"  answered  Tom.     A  few  minutes  later  he 
was  on  the  return  with  Grace,  Nellie  and  Dora. 

When  he  arrived  he  found  Sam  awaiting 
them,  and  all  walked  down  to  the  grandstand, 
where  seats  had  been  provided  for  the  party., 
Grace  and  the  others  had  just  been  made  com 
fortable  when  Chester  Waltham  arrived  with  his 
sister  and  a  number  of  others.  The  young  mil 
lionaire  came  forward  with  a  broad  smile  and 
was  quickly  introduced,  and  he  lost  no  time  in 
seating  his  sister  next  to  Grace,  while  he  sat  di 
rectly  behind  the  pair,  with  all  the  other  girls 
he  had  brought  close  by.  This  arrangement 
did  not  altogether  suit  Sam,  and  he  hurried  off 
to  the  dressing-room  to  get  into  his  baseball  uni 
form  in  rather  a  doubtful  frame  of  mind. 

A  little  later  there  was  a  grand  shouting  at 
the  entrance  to  the  field,  and  into  sight  came  a 
large  automobile  truck  containing  a  drum  and 
fife  corps  and  carrying  a  large  Roxley  banner. 
The  truck  was  followed  by  a  dozen  or  more  au 
tomobiles  containing  the  Roxley  team  and  their 
fellow-students.  The  students  had  tin  horns  and 
wooden  rattles. 

"Zip!     Hurrah!     Roxley!"  was  the  cry,  and 
then  followed  a  great  noise  from  the  horns  and' 
rattles. 

"Brill !  Brill !  Brill !"  was  the  counter  cry,  and 


THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME       171 

then  the  furious  din  was  taken  up  by  the  other 
side. 

After  that  the  grandstand  filled  up  rapidly 
and  so  did  the  bleachers,  until  there  was  not  an 
available  seat  remaining.  In  the  meanwhile,  a 
parking  place  for  automobiles  and  carriages  at 
the  far  end  of  the  field  was  also  well  patronized. 

"Some  crowd,  and  no  mistake!"  was  Stan 
ley's  comment,  as  he  looked  at  the  masses  of  hu 
manity  waving  flags  and  banners  and  tooting 
their  horns  and  using  various  other  devices  for 
making  noise.  "This  is  by  far  the  biggest  crowd 
we  have  ever  had." 

"Roxley  has  sent  word  all  around  that  they 
are  going  to  bury  us  this  year,"  returned  another 
student  standing  by.  "They  claim  they  have  a 
team  that  can't  be  beaten." 

Down  in  the  dressing-room  Bob  was  giving 
some  final  instructions  to  his  men. 

"I  want  you  to  play  from  the  word  'go/  "  he 
said.  "Sometimes  a  game  is  lost  or  won  in  the 
first  inning.  Don't  let  them  get  any  kind  of  a 
lead  if  you  can  possibly  help  it." 

It  had  been  decided  almost  at  the  last  min 
ute  that  instead  of  covering  left  field  Sam  should 
cover  third  base.  There  was  a  big  cheer  for 
the  Roxley  team  when  it  made  its  appearance 
on  the  field,  and  another  cheer  when  the  Brill 


1 72     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

nine  showed  itself.  Then  came  the  toss-up,  and 
it  was  decided  that  Brill  should  go  to  the  bat 
first. 

The  first  man  to  the  bat  was  a  tall  fellow  who 
'played  center  field,  and  as  he  came  f orward  many 
of  the  Brill  sympathizers  cheered  him  lustily. 

"Now  show  'em  what  you  can  doT 

"Knock  it  over  the  back  fence !" 

The  ball  came  in  and  the  batter  swung  for  it 
and  missed  it. 

"Strike  one!" 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Muggs !" 

Again  the  ball  came  in,  and  this  time  there  was 
a  foul  tip. 

"Foul!     Strike  two!" 

Following  this  second  strike  came  two  balls, 
over  which  the  Brill  contingent  cheered.  Then 
came  a  swift  inshoot,  which  the  batter  missed  by 
the  fraction  of  an  inch. 

"Strike  three!  Batter  out!"  sang  out  the  um 
pire. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Muggs!"  came  the 
yell  from  the  Roxley  cohorts,  and  there  followed 
a  din  of  horns  and  rattles. 

The  second  man  up  for  Brill  managed  to  get 
to  first,  but  the  next  one  went  out  on  a  pop  fly, 
and  then  the  man  on  first  was  caught  trying  to 
steal  to  second. 


THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME       173 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Roxley!  Keep  it 
tip!"  And  as  a  goose  egg  was  put  up  for  Brill 
on  the  score  board  the  opponents  cheered  as  wiki- 
ly  as  ever. 

But  if  Roxley  had  hoped  to  score  in  that  first 
inning,  her  expectations  were  doomed  to  disap 
pointment.  The  first  man  up  went  out  on  a  pop 
fly,  the  second  on  a  foul,  and  although  the  third 
managed  to  reach  second  base  on  what  should 
have  really  been  a  one-base  hit,  the  fourth  man 
up  knocked  an  easy  one  to  first  which  ended  their 
hopes. 

It  was  not  until  the  second  inning  that  Sam 
came  to  the  bat.  There  were  two  men  out  when 
he  grasped  the  ashen  stick  and  took  his  stand  be 
side  the  home  plate.  He  had  a  strike  and  two 
balls  called*  on  him,  and  then  sent  a  clean  hit 
between  first  and  second  bases. 

"Run,  Sam,  run!"  yelled  Dick. 

"Leg  it,  old  man,  leg  it !"  added  Tom,  and  the 
youngest  Rover  certainly  did  speed  for  first,  ar 
riving  there  just  a  second  before  the  ball. 

"Oh,  if  only  he  can  get  in!"  cried  Grace,  clap 
ping  her  hands. 

"It's  a  long  way  around  to  home  plate,"  put 
in  Chester  Waltham.  "He's  got  to  have  help  to 
do  it" 

A  moment  later  the  next  man  to  the  bat 


174  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

knocked  an  easy  fly  to  second  and  that  ended  the 
chances  for  Sam's  scoring,  and  another  goose 
egg  went  up  for  Brill  on  the  score  board. 

In  the  end  of  the  second  inning  Roxley  was 
fortunate  enough  to  open  the  play  with  a  neat 
drive  which  brought  the  batter  to  second.  Then 
came  another  one-base  hit,  and  amid  a  wild  yell 
ing  the  runner  from  second  slid  in  over  the  home 
plate. 

"Hurrah I    Hurrah!    A  run  for  Roxley!" 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it !  Keep  it  up !  Snow 
Brill  under!" 

Bob  Grimes  walked  up  to  Dare  Phelps,  who 
was  occupying  the  pitcher's  box. 

"Take  it  easy,  Dare,"  he  pleaded.  "Don't  let 
'em  rattle  you." 

"They  are  not  going  to  rattle  me,"  responded 
Dare  Phelps,  and  pitched  the  next  batter  out  in 
one-two-three  order.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
the  man  on  first  managed  to  steal  second.  A 
moment  later  he  tried  to  reach  third.  The 
pitcher  threw  the  ball  to  Sam,  who  leaped  up 
into  the  air  and  caught  it,  coming  down  on 
the  runner  while  he  was  still  a  foot  from  the 
bag. 

"Runner  out !"  cried  the  umpire,  and  Roxley's 
player  arose  rather  crestfallen  and  limped  off  to 
the  benches. 


THE  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL  GAME      175 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Sam.  Nab  'em  every 
time!"  cried  Tom. 

When  the  inning  was  ended  Roxley  had  only 
the  one  run  to  its  credit. 

Brill  came  to  the  bat  for  the  third  time  with 
a  sort  of  do-or-die  look  on  the  faces  of  the  play 
ers.  It  was  plucky  little  Spud  who  started  a  bat-, 
ting  streak,  getting  safely  to  first  and  followed 
by  another  player  who  managed  to  reach  second, 
landing  Spud  on  third.  Then  came  two  outs. 
Before  the  inning  was  ended,  however,  two  runs 
were  placed  on  the  board  to  the  credit  of  Brill. 

"Two  to  one  in  favor  of  Brill!"  cried  one  of 
the  students. 

"Just  wait,  this  inning  isn't  over  yet!"  cried 
one  of  the  Roxley  sympathizers.  Then  Roxley 
went  to  the  bat,  and  because  of  a  bad  fumble 
on  the  part  of  the  Brill  second  baseman,  they 
managed  to  secure  another  run. 

"Two  to  two !"  was  the  cry,  as  the  figures  went 
up  on  the  big  score  board. 

"Anybody's  game,  so  far,"  said  Dick  Rover, 
soberly,  "but  I  do  hope  Brill  wins." 

"And  so  do  I,"  answered  his  brother  Tom. 


CHAPTER    XVII 


IN  the  fourth  inning  Brill  did  its  best  to  get 
in  another  run.  There  were  two  one-base  hits 
made,  but  these  were  followed  by  a  strike-out 
and  two  pop  flies,  so  the  hits  availed  nothing. 

"Such  playing  as  that  isn't  helping  us  any," 
was  Dick's  remark  in  a  low  tone  to  Tom. 

"Well,  those  first  two  men  up  managed  to  find 
the  ball,"  returned  Tom,  hopefully. 

But  if  Brill  had  not  fared  well  in  that  inning, 
Roxley  did  no  better,  so  far  as  bringing  in  runs 
were  concerned.  But  the  Roxley  batters  found 
Phelps  quite  easily,  pounding  out  numerous  fouls, 

"The  score  is  two  to  two,"  remarked  Chester 
Waltham,  when  the  Brill  team  came  up  to  the 
bat  in  the  fifth  inning.  In  this,  with  one  man 
out,  Sam  managed  to  send  a  neat  drive  directly 
past  the  Roxley  shortstop.  He  gained  first  with 
ease,  and  then,  taking  a  desperate  chance,  slid 
safely  to  second. 

"Good  work,  Rover !  Keep  it  up !"  came  from 
one  of  his  chums. 

J76 


HOW  THE  GAME  ENDED  177 

"That  won't  do  him  any  good.  They  can't 
bring  it  in,"  called  out  a  Roxley  sympathizer, 
and  he  proved  to  be  a  true  prophet,  for  the  in 
ning  came  to  an  end  with  no  additional  runs, 
Sam  getting  no  chance  to  advance  beyond  the 
second  bag. 

"Now,  then,  Phelps,  keep  cool,"  admonished 
Bob,  when  hi  the  second  half  of  the  fifth  inning 
the  Brill  pitcher  passed  the  first  batter  on  balls. 

"All  right,  I'll  do  my  best,"  answered  Dare 
Phelps.  "But  I  must  confess  my  arm  is  begin 
ning  to  hurt  me,"  he  added, 

"Do  you  want  to  drop  out?"  questioned  the 
captain,  quickly. 

"Oh,  no,  not  until  they  hit  me  more  than  they 
have,"  responded  the  Brill  pitcher,  grimly. 

There  followed  one  out,  but  after  that  came 
some  free  hitting  which  brought  in  two  runs. 

"Hurrah!  Hurrah!"  shouted  the  Roxley  stu 
dents. 

"Two  to  four  in  favor  of  Roxley !  That's  the 
way  to  do  it!  Snow  'em  under!" 

"Steady,  Phelps,  steady,"  warned  the  Brill 
captain.  But  it  was  of  no  avail,  and  the  onlyr 
way  Brill  could  bring  that  inning  to  a  finish  was 
by  the  clever  work  of  two  of  the  fielders  in  cap 
turing  two  flies  which  looked  as  if  they  might  be 
home  runs. 


178  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

When  the  board  showed  the  score  of  2  to  4 
Roxley  went  wild  once  more,  while  the  followers 
of  Brill  looked  correspondingly  glum. 

"Maybe  you  had  better  give  Jack  Dudley  a 
chance,"  suggested  Bob  to  Dare  Phelps,  when 
the  two  walked  into  the  benches. 

"Oh,  let  me  try  it  just  once  more !"  pleaded  the 
pitcher.  "Anybody  might  have  let  in  those  two 
runs." 

"All  right,  Phelps,  I'll  give  you  one  more 
chance,"  answered  Bob,  somewhat  sharply.  "You 
know  we  don't  want  this  game  to  go  to  Roxley 
if  we  can  possibly  help  it." 

In  the  sixth  inning  Brill  scored  another  goose 
egg.  Then  Roxley  came  once  more  to  the  bat, 
and  on  the  first  ball  pitched  by  Phelps  scored  a 
home  run,  amid  a  yelling  and  cheering  that  could 
be  heard  for  a  great  distance. 

"Whoop!  That's  the  way  to  do  it!  Five  to 
two  in  favor  of  Roxley!" 

"Keep  it  up,  boys!  Snow  'em  under!  Snow 
'em  under!"  And  then  the  Roxley  crowd  began 
a  song,  the  refrain  of  which  was :  "We're  here 
to-day  to  bury  them !" 

The  cheering  was  still  at  its  height  when  Bob 
motioned  to  Jack  Dudley,  who  had  been  warm 
ing  up  in  a  corner  of  the  field,  to  come  forward 
and  take  Dare  Phelps'  place.  There  was  a  cheer 


HOW  THE  GAME  ENDED  179 

from  Brill  for  the  new  pitcher,  while  Phelps  re 
tired  rather  crestfallen. 

"Now,  then,  Dudley,  put  'em  out  in  one-two- 
three  order!"  was  the  cry. 

"We've  killed  off  one  pitcher ;  now  kill  off  the 
next!"  came  the  cry  from  the  Roxleyites. 

"Take  it  easy,  Dudley,"  warned  Bob.  "Give 
'em  your  inshoot  and  that  new  fadeaway." 

"I'll  give  'em  all  that  is  in  me,"  returned  Jack 
Dudley,  with  a  determined  look  on  his  lean,  and 
somewhat  angular,  face. 

The  first  man  up  got  two  balls  and  two  strikes. 
Then  came  a  foul  tip,  followed  by  another  strike. 

"Strike  three !    Batter  out !"  called  the  umpire. 

"Hurrah !    That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Dudley !" 

The  next  man  managed  to  get  to  first,  but  theu 
came  two  more  outs,  and  the  sixth  inning  cams' 
to  a  close  with  the  score  still  standing,  Brill  2 — • 
Roxley  5. 

"That's  some  lead,"  remarked  Chester  Wal- 
thatn.  "Brill  has  got  to  get  busy  pretty  quickly 
if  it  expects  to  win  this  game." 

"Oh,  we'll  get  there,  don't  you  worry,"  an 
swered  Tom,  quickly,  and  then  he  shouted :  "Go 
to  it,  fellows;  go  to  it!  Lambast  the  life  out  of 
that  leather  1"  and  at  this  cry  there  was  a  general 
laugh. 

The  seventh  inning  proved  a  blank  for  both 


180  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

teams.  Brill,  however,  managed  to  reach  sec 
ond,  while  Roxley  was  pitched  out  in  one-two- 
three  order  by  Dudley. 

"Well,  Dudley  held  them  down  that  time,"  re 
marked  Dick  Rover.  "I  hope  he  manages  to 
keep  the  good  work  up." 

"Yes,  but  a  pitcher  can't  win  a  ball  game 
alone,"  answered  Chester  Waltham.  "You've  got 
to  have  some  good  batters." 

"Go  to  it,  Brill !  Go  to  it !  This  is  your  lucky 
inning!"  yelled  Tom,  enthusiastically.  "Get  busy, 
everybody !" 

In  the  eighth  inning  the  first  man  up  for  Brill 
went  out  on  a  pop  fly.  But  then  came  a  fine 
hit  that  took  the  next  player  safely  to  second 
Then  Sam  walked  to  the  plate. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Brill !" 

"Now,  Rover,  hit  it  for  all  you  are  worth !" 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Sam  felt  a  trrfte 
nervous,  so  anxious  was  he  to  make  some  sort 
of  a  showing.  He  swung  his  ashen  stick  at  the 
first  ball  pitched. 

"Strike  one!"  came  from  the  umpire. 

'Take  your  time,  Sam!"  yelled  Tom.  "Make 
him  give  it  to  you  where  you  want  it!" 

Whether  Sam  heard  the  cry  or  not  it  would  be 
hard  to  say,  but  he  let  the  next  ball  go  by,  and 
then  repeated  this  action. 


HOW  THE  GAME  ENDED  181 

"Ball  two!"  called  the  umpire. 

"Oh,  say!  That  was  all  right!"  grumbled  the 
Roxley  catcher.  "What  do  you  want?" 

"Too  far  out,"  returned  the  umpire  sharply, 
and  then  added:  "Play  ball!" 

The  next  one  was  a  straight  drive,  and  Sam 
swung  at  it  with  all  the  strength  and  skill  he 
possessed. 

Crack !  The  ashen  stick  hit  the  leather,  and  the 
sphere  went  sailing  far  down  into  center  field. 

"Go  it,  Rover,  go  it !" 

"Come  on  in,  Orben!" 

Paul  Orben,  who  had  been  the  player  to  reach 
second,  was  already  streaking  up  to  third,  and  by 
the  time  Sam  reached  first  Paul  was  legging  it 
for  the  home  plate. 

"Throw  that  ball  up  here!  Throw  that  ball 
up!"  yelled  the  second  baseman  to  the  center 
fielder,  who  was  still  chasing  after  the  bouncing 
leather. 

Then  amid  a  cloud  of  dust  Paul  slid  in  over 
the  home  plate  while  Sam,  having  reached  sec 
ond,  was  legging  it  rapidly  for  third.  Up  came 
the  ball  from  the  field  to  second,  and  then  to 
third,  but  before  it  got  there  the  youngest  Rover 
was  safely  clutching  the  bag. 

"Whoop!  Hurrah!  That's  the  way  to  do  it! 
One  run  in  and  another  on  the  way." 


182  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Keep  it  up,  Brill!  You've  struck  your  win- 
ning  streak !" 

"Oh,  dear!  I  do  hope  Sam  can  bring  that 
run  in !"  came  from  Grace. 

"It  might  have  been  a  home  run  if  he  had 
only  run  a  little  faster,"  remarked  Chester  Wal- 
tham. 

"Faster!"  retorted  Tom,  quickly.  "Why,  he 
legged  it  like  greased  lightning!  Most  players 
would  have  gotten  only  two  bags  out  of  that 
hit." 

Following  this  batting  came  another  out,  but 
then  the  next  man  up  managed  to  reach  first, 
and  amid  a  wild  cheering  on  the  part  of  the  Brill- 
ites,  and  a  loud  tooting  of  horns,  Sam  rushed 
over  the  home  plate. 

"Hurrah!     Hurrah!    Another  run!" 

"That  makes  the  score  four  to  five !" 

"Keep  up  the  good  work,  Brill !" 

But  that  was  the  end  of  the  run  getting  for 
the  time  being.  Then  Roxley  came  to  the  bat, 
and  amid  the  most  intense  feeling  Jack  Dudley 
managed  to  pitch  out  three  men  in  succession 
and  the  score  went  up  on  the  board :  Brill  4 — 
Roxley  5. 

"Now,  fellows,  this  is  our  last  chance,"  said 
Bob,  as  the  team  came  in  for  the  ninth  inning. 
"Remember,  one  run  will  tie  the  score  and  two 


HOW  THE  GAME  ENDED  183 

runs  may  win  the  game.  Now  every  man  up 
on  the  job." 

The  first  batter  for  Brill  in  the  ninth  inning 
was  plainly  nervous.  He  let  two  good  balls  go 
by  and  thereby  had  two  strikes  called  on  him. 
Then  he  made  a  wild  pass  at  the  next  ball,  knock 
ing  a  short  foul  which  the  first  baseman  for  Rox- 
ley  gathered  in  by  a  sensational  running  leap. 

"One  man  gone !  One  man  gone !"  chanted  the 
Roxley  followers.  "Now,  then,  get  the  other 
two." 

"Take  your  time,  boys,  take  your  time/'  cried 
Bob.  "Make  them  give  you  just  what  you  want." 

This  advice  was  heeded,  and  as  a  result  the 
next  man  got  to  first  and  on  another  one-base 
hit  managed  to  reach  third.  Then  came  a  one- 
bag  drive  that  brought  in  a  run  and  took  the 
man  on  first  to  second. 

"Hurrah !    Hurrah !    That  ties  the  score !" 

"Keep  it  up,  Brill!  Bring  in  all  the  runs  you 
can!" 

Following  the  bringing  in  of  the  tying  run, 
there  came  some  field  play  between  the  pitcher 
and  the  basemen,  and  as  a  result  the  man  who 
had  reached  first  was  called  out  trying  to  steal 
second.  In  the  mean  time  the  other  runner  tried 
to  steal  home,  but  had  to  stay  on  third. 

"Be  careful,  boys,  be  careful,"  pleaded  Bob, 


184  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

and  then  a  few  seconds  later  came  another  base 
hit  which  brought  in  another  run. 

"Good!  Good!  That's  the  way  to  do  it, 
Brill!" 

"That  makes  the  score  six  to  five  in  favor  of 
Brill!" 

"Bring  in  half  a  dozen  more  while  you  are 
at  it!" 

"Hold  them  down.  Don't  let  them  get  another 
run,"  pleaded  the  captain  of  Roxley's  nine  to  his 
men. 

"We're  going  to  make  a  dozen  more,"  an 
nounced  Tom  Rover,  gaily.  But  this  was  not  to 
be,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  inning  came  to 
an  end  with  the  score  standing:  Brill  6 — Rox- 

feys- 

"Now,  then,  Roxley,  one  run  to  tie  the  score 
and  two  to  win  the  game!"  was  the  cry  from 
the  visitors. 

"Lam  out  a  couple  of  homers!" 
"Show  'em  where  the  back  fence  is!" 
In  that  ninth  inning  Roxley  came  to  the  bat 
with  a  "do-or-die"  look. 

"Now  watch  yourself,  Dudley,"  whispered  Bob 
to  the  pitcher.  "Don't  let  them  rattle  you." 

"They  are  not  going  to  rattle  me,"  answered 
Dudley.  Yet  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  the 
sophomore  was  nervous,  and  that  the  strain  of 


HOW  THE  GAME  ENDED  185 

the  situation  was  beginning  to  tell  upon  him. 
Nevertheless,  amid  a  wild  cheering  on  the  part  of 
Brill,  he  struck  out  the  first  man  up. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Brill !" 

"It's  all  over  but  the  shouting!"  shrieked  one 
Brill  sympathizer. 

"Not  much!  Here  is  where  we  make  half  a 
dozen  runs!"  yelled  a  Roxleyite. 

The  next  batter  up  was  a  notoriously  hard  hit 
ter.  Dudley  was  afraid  to  give  him  something 
easy,  and  as  a  consequence  the  pitcher  had  four 
balls  called  on  him  and  the  batter  went  to  first. 
Then  came  a  drive  to  center  field  which  took 
the  man  on  first  to  second,  while  the  batter 
reached  first  with  ease. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Roxley !  Now  you've 
got  'em  going!" 

With  only  one  man  out  and  two  men  on  bases, 
Jack  Dudley  was  more  nervous  than  ever.  Yet 
Bob  did  not  have  the  heart  to  take  him  out  of 
the  box,  and,  besides,  he  had  no  pitcher  on  hand 
who  was  any  better. 

"Hold  'em  down,  Dudley!  Hold  'em  down!" 
pleaded  the  captain.  "Don't  feed  'em  any  ea-sy 
ones,"  And  the  pitcher  nodded  grimly,  being  too 
nervous  to  even  answer. 

A  ball  was  called  and  then  a  strike.  Then 
Dudley  fed  the  batter  a  straight  one.  Crack! 


186  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

The  ashen  stick  met  the  sphere  and  seat  it  along 
just  inside  the  third  base  line. 

"Run!  Everybody  run!"  was  the  yell  from 
the  Roxley  contingent,  and  while  the  batter 
dropped  his  stick  and  sped  toward  first,  the  maa 
on  that  bag  legged  it  for  second  and  the  man 
on  second  rushed  madly  toward  third. 

For  one  brief  instant  it  looked  as  if  one,  and 
possibly  two,  runs  would  be  scored.  But  then, 
Sam,  playing  a  little  off  third,  made  a  wild  leap 
into  the  air  and  pulled  down  the  ball.  Next,  like 
a  flash,  he  tagged  the  man  sliding  in  toward  the 
third  bag. 

"Batter  out !  Runner  out !"  announced  the  um«. 
pire. 

"Hurrah!     Hurrah!     Brill  wins  the  game!" 

"Say!  that  was  a  dandy  catch  by  Rover, 
wasn't  it  ?" 

"Yes.  And  how  neatly  he  put  that  runner  out, 
too!" 

And  then  as  the  score,  Brill  6 — Roxley  5,  was 
placed  on  the  big  board  a  wild  yelling,  tooting  of 
horns,  and  sounding  of  rattles  rent  the  air.  Once 
more  Brill  had  vanquished  its  old  opponent. 

And  everybody  said  that  Sam  Rover  was  the 
hero  of  the  occasion. 


SAM    MADE    A   WILD    LEAP   INTO   THE   AIR   AND    PULLED    DOWN 
THE   BALL.  Page  186. 

The  Rover  Boys  on  a   Tour. 


GOOD-BYE    TO    BRILL, 

THE  celebration  at  Brill  that  evening  was  one 
long  to  be  remembered.  Bonfires  blazed  along 
the  river  front,  and  the  st  tidents  marched  around 
them,  and  around  the  campus  and  the  colkge 
buildings,  singing  songs  and  having  a  good  time 
generally. 

The  others  had  insisted  that  the  Rovers  take 
part  in  these  festivities,  and  so  the  boys  had  taken 
the  girls  to  Hope,  where  Dora  and  Nellie  were 
to  remain  until  the  next  day. 

"I  must  say  I  am  mighty  glad  I  came/'  said 
Dick  to  his  brothers,  as  he  surveyed  the  shouting 
and  marching  students.  "This  certainly  takes  me 
back  to  the  days  whsn  I  was  here." 

"I'm  going  in  for  some  fun,"  announced  Tom, 
and  was  soon  in  the  midst  of  the  activities.  The 
students  played  jokes  on  William  Philander 
Tubbs,  old  Filbuvy,  and  on  a  number  of  others, 
and  the  fun-loving  Rover  helped  them  all  he 
could.  An  attempt  was  also  made  to  get  the 
187 


188  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

captured  banners  of  the  freshmen  and  sopho 
mores  from  Sam's  room,  but  this  failed. 

"The  boys  are  rather  noisy  to-night,"  said  one 
of  the  professors  to  Dr.  Wallington. 

"I  agree  with  you,  sir,"  returned  the  head  of 
Brill,  "but  then  they  have  something  to  be  noisy 
about.  Their  victory  was  certainly  well  earned," 
and  the  doctor  smiled  indulgently. 

Many  had  come  forward  to  congratulate  Sam 
on  his  fine  work  in  putting  through  a  double  play 
unassisted  in  the  last  inning. 

"It  saved  the  day  for  Brill,"  announced  Stan 
ley,  and  many  agreed  with  him. 

The  great  game  had  taken  place  on  Saturday 
afternoon,  so,  as  the  next  day  was  Sunday,  Sam 
could  do  as  he  pleased.  The  Rovers  had  an  early 
breakfast,  and  then  lost  no  time  in  riding  over 
to  the  seminary,  where  they  found  the  others 
waiting  for  them. 

"Oh,  Sam,  your  playing  was  simply  wonder 
ful!"  declared  Grace,  as  she  beamed  on  him. 
"How  you  ever  caught  that  fly  in  the  last  inning- 
is  beyond  me." 

"Yes,  and  what  do  you  think  ?"  put  in  Grace's 
sister.  "Mr.  Waltham  said  he  thought  it  was 
quite  an  ordinary  play — that  any  good,  all-around 
player  could  have  done  what  Sam  did !" 

"Maybe  he  was  a  bit  jealous  of  Sam,"  was 


GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL  189 

Dora's  comment,  and  as  she  spoke  she  looked 
rather  keenly  at  Grace,  who,  of  a  sudden,  blushed 
deeply. 

"I  suppose  Waltham  brought  his  sister  and 
those  girls  back  here  last  evening,"  said  Sam. 

"Oh,  yes,"  answered  Nellie,  "and  they  insisted 
that  we  join  them  in  a  little  treat.  Mr.  Waltham 
drove  down  to  Ashton  for  some  ice  cream,  fancy 
crackers  and  candy,  and  we  had  quite  a  spread 
under  the  trees.  It  certainly  was  very  nice  of 
him  to  do  it." 

"I  suppose  he's  got  so  much  money  he  doesn't 
know  what  to  do  with  it,"  was  Dick's  comment. 

"He  was  asking  me  about  that  tour  that  we 
propose  taking  this  summer,"  said  Dora.  "He 
added  that  he  and  his  sister  and  maybe  others 
were  going  to  take  a  tour  in  his  new  car,  but 
he  hadn't  decided  on  where  they  were  going,  and 
he  thought  it  might  be  rather  jolly  if  he  joined 
our  touring  party." 

"Humph!  I  don't  see "  began  Sam,  and 

then  broke  off  suddenly. 

"It  would  be  lovely  to  have  Ada  along,"  said 
Grace.  "She  is  a  splendid  girl,  and  we've  be 
come  quite  chummy  since  Nellie  and  Dora  went 
away." 

"Well,  we  haven't  any  time  to  settle  about 
that  tour  just  now,"  announced  Dick.  "Our  tram 


190  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

leaves  in  a  couple  of  hours  and  you  girls  have 
got  to  pack  up  before  we  start  for  the  Ashton 
depot." 

The  mention  of  Chester  Waltham,  along  with 
the  fact  that  he  might  join  them  on  their  pro 
posed  automobile  tour,  put  rather  a  damper  on 
Sam's  feelings.  He  acted  very  soberly,  and  his 
remarks  to  Grace  were  not  half  as  cordial  as 
they  usually  were.  Evidently  Sam's  "nose  was 
out  of  joint,"  although  he  was  not  willing  to 
admit  it,  even  to  himself. 

All  drove  down  to  the  Ashton  depot,  and  there 
Sam  and  Grace  said  good-bye  to  the  others,  who 
were  going  on  to  the  home  farm  at  Valley  Brook 
and  then  to  New  York  City.  'On  the  return  to 
the  seminary  Sam  had  hoped  to  have  a  long  talk 
and  an  understanding  with  Grace,  but  unfortu 
nately  two  girls  turned  up  who  wished  to  get 
back  to  Hope,  and  there  was  nothing  for  the 
Rover  boy  to  do  but  to  invite  them  to  ride  along, 
so  that  the  confidential  talk  between  them  had 
to  be  abandoned. 

After  the  great  ball  game  matters  quieted 
down  at  Brill.  All  of  the  seniors  were  hard  at 
work  getting  ready  for  the  final  examinations, 
which  would  start  on  the  week  following. 

"If  you  make  as  good  a  showing  in  the  ex 
aminations  as  you  made  on  the  ball  field,  you 


GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL  191 

sure  will  prove  a  winner,"  declared  Bob  to  Sam 
one  day. 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  do  my  level  best,  Bob," 
was  the  reply.  "You  see,  neither  Dick  nor  Tom 
had  a  chance  to  graduate,  so  I've  got  to  make 
a  showing  for  the  entire  family." 

During  those  days  nothing  further  had  been 
heard  regarding  Black ie  Crowden  or  the  missing 
money.  Sam  and  Songbird  had  met  Belright 
Fogg  once  on  the  streets  of  Ashton,  but  the  law 
yer  had  marched  past  without  deigning  to  speak 
to  them. 

"He's  a  foxy  customer,"  was  the  comment  of 
the  would-be  poet  of  Brill.  "If  he  had  anything 
to  do  with  Blackie  Crowden,  he'll  try  his  level 
best  to  keep  it  to  himself." 

At  last  the  examinations  began.  They  were  to 
continue  for  the  best  part  of  two  weeks,  and 
during  that  time  Sam  cut  out  all  sports  and  con 
fined  himself  to  his  studies  with  greater  diligence 
than  ever.  He  had  several  important  papers  to 
hand  in,  and  he  worked  over  these  early  and  late, 
rewriting  and  polishing  until  there  seemed  to  be 
absolutely  nothing  more  that  could  be  done. 
Songbird  also  was  busy,  for  in  addition  to  his 
studies  and  themes  he  had  been  asked  by  the 
class  to  write  a  poem  in  honor  of  the  coming 
occasion. 


I92  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

"I  only  wish  I  could  write  something  that 
would  bring  in  some  cash,"  remarked  the  wouid- 
*je  poet  one  afternoon. 

Although  he  had  not  apprised  Sam  of  that 
fact,  Songbird  had  copied  off  several  of  his 
best  poems  and  sent  them  to  various  publishers, 
hoping  that  they  might  prove  acceptable  and 
bring  in  some  money  which  he  might  turn  over 
to  Mr.  Sanderson  as  an  evidence  of  what  he 
hoped  to  do  in  the  future.  So  far,  however,  he 
had  not  heard  from  any  of  the  poems  but  one, 
which  had  been  promptly  returned. 

At  last  came  the  day  when  the  examinations 
ended.  All  the  themes  written  by  the  students 
had  been  handed  in,  and  Sam  found  himself  free 
to  do  as  he  pleased.  He  at  once  sought  Grace 
by  means  of  the  telephone,  hoping  to  get  her 
to  take  an  automobile  ride  with  him. 

"I  am  sorry,"  she  answered  over  the  wire, 
"but  I  have  still  another  examination  to  take  and 
a  theme  to  finish,  so  1  don't  dare  to  think  of  go 
ing  out." 

"How  have  you  made  out  so  far  ?"  questioned 
the  youth. 

"I  don't  know,  Sam.  Sometimes  I  think  I 
have  done  very  well,  and  then  again  I  am  afraid 
that  I  missed  a  great  many  things.  How  did  you 
make  out?" 


GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL  193 

"Oh,  I  think  I'll  pass,  but  how  high  up  I  don't 
know.  I  am  hoping  for  great  things,  but  I  may 
be  mistaken."  And  there  the  conversation  had 
to  come  to  an  abrupt  end,  for  a  professor  came 
in  to  use  the  Brill  telephone. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Sam  slept  rather  un 
easily  on  the  night  before  the  morning  on  which 
the  announcement  concerning  each  student's 
standing  was  to  be  made. 

"I'm  scared  to  death,"  came  from  Spud.  "I 
missed  a  whole  lot  of  questions." 

"So  did  I,"  put  in  Paul.  "And  I  boned  hard 
too,"  he  added  dismally. 

Finally  came  the  announcement.  Out  of  a  class 
of  sixty-five  seniors,  sixty-two  had  passed. 
Sam's  name  was  at  the  head  of  the  list  with  a 
percentage  of  ninety-seven;  Songbird  came 
fourth  with  a  percentage  of  ninety-three;  Spud 
had  ninety-one,  and  Stanley  the  same;  while 
Paul,  William  Philander  Tubbs  and  a  number  of 
others  were  listed  at  from  eighty  to  eighty-eight 
per  cent. 

f"Sam,  allow  me  to  congratulate  you!"  cried 
Songbird,  as  he  came  up  to  wring  his  friend's 
hand,  "You  certainly  made  a  splendid  show 
ing." 

"You  made  a  pretty  good  showing  yourself," 
answered  Sam,  his  face  beaming. 


194  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

"Your  folks  will  be  mighty  glad  to  hear  of 
this,"  went  on  the  would-be  poet  of  Brill.  "Why 
don't  you  telegraph  to  them?" 

"Just  what  I'm  going  to  do,"  answered  the 
Rover  boy.  "And  I'm  going  to  telephone  to 
Hope,  too,"  he  added. 

"That's  the  talk.  I  wish  I  could  telephone 
over  to  the  Sandersons." 

"Never  mind,  Songbird,  I'll  drive  you  over 
there  when  I  drive  to  the  seminary,"  replied  Sam. 

The  days  to  follow  were  delightful  ones  for 
Sam.  True  to  his  promise,  he  took  Songbird 
over  to  the  Sanderson  homestead  and  then  vis 
ited  Grace.  The  girl  had  passed  third  from 
the  top  of  her  class  and  was  correspondingly 
delighted. 

"We  had  such  dreadfully  hard  questions  I 
thought  I  should  never  get  through,"  she  con 
fessed  to  the  youth  when  they  were  alone.  "And 
you  came  out  on  top,  Sam.  Oh,  it's  wonderful 
' — simply  wonderful!"  and  she  caught  both  his 
hands. 

1  "Well,  I'm  glad — glad  for  myself  and  glad 
for  you,  Grace,"  he  answered,  and  looked  her 
'full  in  the  eyes.  She  looked  at  him  in  return 
and  blushed  prettily. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Rover,  allow  me  to  congratulate 
you,"  came  from  somebody  near  by,  and  Ada 


GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL  195 

Waltham  came  tripping  up.  "Grace  told  me  all 
about  your  wonderful  showing." 

"Ada  made  a  splendid  showing  herself/'  an 
swered  Grace,  before  Sam  could  speak. 

"I  was  one  point  behind  Grace,"  answered 
the  rich  girl,  "and  that  certainly  was  wonderful 
for  me.  I  never  was  very  keen  about  studying — 
in  fact,  I  didn't  want  to  go  to  college,  only  I 
had  to  do  it  if  I  wanted  to  inherit  the  money  that 
my  uncle  left  me." 

"Oh,  Sam!  and  to  think  our  days  of  studying 
are  over  at  last!"  burst  out  Grace.  "I  can 
scarcely  believe  it." 

"I  can't  believe  it  myself,  Grace,"  he  answered. 
"It  seems  to  me  I've  been  going  to  school  all 
my  life.  Just  think  of  the  years  and  years  I 
put  in  at  Putnam  Hall  Military  Academy  before 
I  came  to  Brill !" 

"Yes,  and  to  think  of  the  years  I  put  in  at 
the  Cedarville  school  before  I  came  to  Hope," 
returned  Grace.  "Now  it  is  all  over  I  feel  quite 
old,"  and  she  laughed  merrily. 

As  was  the  usual  custom,  it  had  been  decided 
that  graduation  exercises  at  Hope  should  take 
place  two  days  before  those  at  Brill,  which  would 
give  ample  opportunity  for  those  desiring  to  do 
so  to  attend  both  functions. 

"My  folks  are  all  coming  to  the  graduations," 


J96  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

announced  Grace,  a  day  or  two  after  the  con 
versation  just  recorded. 

"Yes,  and  my  folks  will  all  be  on  hand,"  an 
swered  Sam.  "Even  Uncle  Randolph  and  Aunt 
Martha  are  coming.  Dear,  old  Aunt  Martha!" 
he  said.  "She  has  been  a  regular  mother  to  us 
boys  ever  since  I  can  remember.  I'm  awfully 
glad  she  will  be  present,  and  I'll  be  mighty  glad 
to  have  Uncle  Randolph  too,  not  to  say  anything 
about  dear,  old  dad." 

After  that  there  seemed  to  be  so  much  to  do 
and  so  many  things  to  think  about  that  time  sped 
with  amazing  swiftness.  The  Rovers  and  the 
Lanings  had  engaged  rooms  at  the  leading  hotel 
in  Ashton,  and  arrived  on  the  day  previous  to 
the  graduation  exercises  at  Hope. 

"Tell  you  what,  education  is  a  great  thing!" 
remarked  Mr.  John  Laning  when  speaking  of 
the  matter  to  Mr.  Rover.  "I  didn't  have  much 
of  a  chance  at  it  when  I  was  a  boy — I  had  to  go 
out  and  scrap  for  a  living — but  I'm  mighty  glad 
that  I  had  the  means  to  give  the  girls  the  learn 
ing  they've  got." 

"You're  right — it  is  a  great  thing,"  answered 
Mr.  Anderson  Rover.  "I  am  only  sorry  now 
that  Dick  and  Tom  didn't  have  the  chance  to 
graduate  as  well  as  Sam.  But,  you  know,  I  was 
very  sick  and  somebody  had  to  look  after  our 


GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL  197 

business  affairs.  And  what  those  boys  have  done 
for  me  is  simply  wonderful!" 

"The  greatest  boys  that  ever  lived,"  announced 
Randolph  Rover.  "They  used  to  bother  the  life 
out  of  me  with  their  fun  and  noise,  but  now 
that  they  have  settled  down  and  made  men  of 
themselves  I  forgive  them  for  all  the  annoy 
ances." 

Sam's  father  had  brought  for  him  as  a  gradua 
tion  present  a  very  fine  diamond  scarf  pin,  while 
his  uncle  and  aunt  presented  him  with  a  hand 
somely  engraved  cardcase  and  Dick  and  the 
others  brought  him  a  ring  set  with  a  ruby. 
Grace's  folks  and  the  others  had  also  brought 
several  gifts  of  value  for  the  girl,  and  to  these 
Sam  added  a  bracelet  and  the  finest  bouquet  of 
flowers  he  could  obtain  in  Ashton. 

The  graduation  exercises  at  Hope  were  exceed 
ingly  pretty.  All  the  girls  were  dressed  in  white, 
and  they  formed  a  beautiful  picture  as  they  stood 
in  a  long  line  to  receive  their  diplomas.  The  on 
lookers  clapped  vigorously,  but  no  one  with  more 
fervor  than  did  Sam  when  Grace  received  her 
roll.  The  exercises  were  followed  by  a  reception 
that  evening  at  which  the  fair  girl  graduates 
shone  as  they  never  had  before. 

"And  now  for  the  big  event  at  Brill!"  said 
Dick,  when  on  the  way  back  to  Ashton  that  even- 


198  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

ing.  "Sam,  aren't  you  a  bit  sorry  to  leave  the 
old  college?" 

"I  certainly  am,  Dick.  At  the  same  time, 
now  that  you  and  Tom  have  buckled  down  to 
business,  I  feel  that  I  ought  to  be  doing  like 
wise." 

<fYes,  but  all  of  you  young  folks  are  going  on 
that  tour  first,"  announced  the  boys'  father.  "I 
think  you  have  earned  it,  and  I  want  you  to  have 
it.  I'll  supply  all  the  funds  necessary,  and  I'll 
see  to  it  that  everything  goes  right  at  the  office 
while  you  are  away." 

Never  had  Brill  been  so  crowded  as  it  was  at 
those  graduation  exercises.  Every  seat  in  the  col 
lege  hall  was  occupied,  and  every  doorway  and 
open  window  held  its  group  of  eager  onlookers. 
The  Rover  family  had  seats  almost  in  the  center 
of  the  auditorium,  and  all  of  the  Lanings  were 
with  them. 

"Oh,  it's  grand  I  just  grand !"  murmured  Aunt 
Martha,  as  she  saw  Sam  and  the  rest  of  the 
senior  class  gathering.  "Oh!  how  proud  I  am 
of  that  boy!"  and  the  tears  coursed  freely  down 
her  cheeks. 

The  valedictory  address  had  been  written  by 
Sam  and  was  delivered  by  the  class  orator,  Stan 
ley.  This  was  followed  by  a  class  poem  written 
by  Songbird  and  delivered  by  a  student  named 


GOOD-BYE  TO  BRILL  199 

Wells.  Sam's  valedictory  was  received  with  loud 
clapping  of  hands. 

"A  well  written  paper — very  well  written,  in 
deed/'  was  Dr.  Wellington's  comment,  and  a 
great  number  of  visitors  agreed  with  him.  Song 
bird  had  worked  hard  over  his  class  poem,  which 
contained  many  allusions  to  local  matters,  and 
was  received  with  many  smiles  and  expressions 
of  good  humor. 

"Songbird  is  certainly  becoming  something  of 
a  poet,"  was  Dick's  comment.  "If  he  keeps  on, 
some  day  he'll  become  the  simon-pure  article." 

At  last  it  was  over,  and  Sam,  with  his  sheep 
skin  rolled  up  and  tied  with  a  ribbon,  joined  his 
folks.  His  father  was  the  first  to  congratulate 
him,  and  then  came  old  Aunt  Martha,  who  wept 
freely  as  she  embraced  him. 

"I'm  proud  of  you,  Sam,  proud  of  you!"  she 
said,  in  a  voice  trembling  with  emotion.  "What 
a  pity  your  own  mother  couldn't  be  here  to  see 
you!  But  the  good  Lord  willed  it  otherwise, 
so  we  must  be  content." 

"Sam,  you've  certainly  done  the  family  proud 
this  day,"  announced  his  oldest  brother.  "To 
graduate  at  the  top  of  the  class  is  going  some." 

"Well,  I've  got  to  do  something  for  the  Rover 
name,"  said  the  happy  youth,  modestly. 

There  was  another  reception  that  night,  and 


200  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

again  the  bonfires  blazed  along  the  bank  of  the 
river.  The  undergraduates  "cut  loose"  as  usual, 
but  those  who  were  to  leave  Brill  forever  were  a 
trifle  sober. 

"It's  been  a  fine  old  college  to  go  to,"  was 
Dick's  comment. 

"You're  right  there,  Dick,"  came  from  Tom. 
"A  fine  place,  indeed!" 

"The  best  in  the  world !"  answered  Sam.  He 
drew  a  deep  breath.  "No  matter  where  I  go  in 
this  old  world  of  ours,  I'll  never  forget  my 
days  at  Brill." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

GETTING   READY   FOR   THE   TOUR 

"AND  now  for  the  grand  tour !" 

"That's  the  talk,  Sam !  We  ought  to  have  the 
best  time  ever,"  returned  his  brother  Tom. 

"Just  to  think  of  such  an  outing  makes  me  feel 
five  years  younger,"  came  from  Dick  Rover.  "I 
like  work  as  well  as  any  one,  but  a  fellow  has 
got  to  break  away  once  in  a  while." 

"And  to  think  we  are  going  away  out  to  Colo 
rado  Springs  and  Pike's  Peak!"  burst  out  Dora. 

"And  all  the  way  in  our  automobiles!"  added 
Nellie.  "I  hope  we  don't  have  any  breakdowns." 

"So  it's  decided  that  we  are  to  start  Monday 
morning,  is  it  ?"  asked  Dick's  wife. 

"Yes,  Dora,  provided  it  is  clear,"  answered 
Sam.  "Of  course  there  is  no  use  of  our  starting 
our  trip  in  a  storm.  We'll  probably  get  enough 
!  rain  while  we  are  on  the  way." 

"Look  here,  Sam,  don't  be  a  wet  blanket!" 
cried  Tom,  catching  his  younger  brother  by  the 
shoulder  and  whirling  him  around.  "This  trip 

201 


202  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

is  going  to  be  perfectly  clear  from  end  to  end. 
I've  ordered  nothing  but  sunshine  and  moon 
light,"  and  at  this  remark  there  was  a  general 
laugh. 

The  young  folks  were  assembled  on  the  lawn 
in  front  of  the  old  Rover  homestead  at  Valley 
Brook.  About  two  weeks  had  passed  since  Grace 
and  Sam  had  graduated,  and  during  that  time 
the  various  arrangements  for  taking  the  tour  to 
the  West  had  been  completed  by  the  Rover  boys. 
In  the  meantime,  Fourth  of  July  had  been  spent 
in  Cedarville,  at  the  Laning  homestead,  where 
all  had  had  a  glorious  time. 

"I'm  awfully  sorry  that  Songbird  and  Minnie 
can't  go  with  us  on  this  trip,"  remarked  Dick, 
"but  I  know  exactly  how  poor  Songbird 
feels." 

"Yes,  he  told  me  he  felt  he  had  to  go  to  work," 
returned  Sam.  "He  wants  to  do  his  best  to  earn 
that  four  thousand  dollars." 

"That's  some  job  for  a  fellow  just  out  of  col 
lege  to  undertake,"  was  Tom's  comment.  "What 
is  he  going  to  do  for  a  living?" 

"He  has  had  a  place  offered  to  him  by  his  uncle. 
He  is  to  start  at  fifteen  dollars  a  week,  and  he 
says  his  uncle  will  advance  him  as  soon  as  he 
learns  something  about  the  business." 

"They   haven't   heard   any   more   about   that 


GETTING  READY  FOR  THE  TOUR         203 

Blackie  Crowden  or  the  missing  money?"  ques 
tioned  Nellie. 

"Not  a  word.  And  it  looks  to  me  now  as  if 
they  never  would  hear  anything." 

"More,  than  likely  that  fellow  has  got  out  of 
the  country,"  was  Dick's  comment.  "Especially 
if  he  has  learned  that  the  police  are  after  him." 

"Oh,  you  can't  tell  about  that,"  broke  in  Tom. 
"He  may  be  hiding  within  a  mile  or  two  of  where 
the  crime  was  committed." 

It  had  been  decided  that  the  touring  party 
should  take  two  automobiles — that  belonging  to 
the  Rovers  and  a  new  machine  which  was  the 
property  of  Mrs.  Stanhope,  Dora's  widowed 
mother.  The  party  was  to  consist  of  Dick  and 
Tom  and  their  wives,  Sam  and  Grace  and  Mrs. 
Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Laning.  Uncle  Randolph 
and  Aunt  Martha  had  also  been  invited  to  go 
along,  but  both  had  declined,  stating  that  they 
preferred  to  remain  on  the  farm. 

"I  have  some  important  scientific  data  on  farm 
ing  to  gather,"  had  been  Randolph  Rover's  ex 
planation,  "and,  besides  that,  I  must  oversee  the 
building  of  that  new  addition  to  the  house;"  for 
since  the  marriage  of  Dick  and  Tom  it  had  been  de 
cided  to  build  a  large  wing  on  the  old  homestead, 
so  that  the  young  folks  might  be  accommodated 
here  whenever  they  cared  to  make  a  visit. 


204  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Aleck  Pop,  the  faithful  old  colored  servant  of 
the  Rovers,  was  still  at  the  farm,  as  was  Jack 
Ness,  the  man  of  all  work,  and  both  did  all  they 
could  to  aid  the  boys  and  girls  to  get  ready  for 
the  tour. 

"It's  most  won'erful  how  you  young  gen'lemen 
has  done  growed  up,"  was  Aleck  Pop's  comment. 
"It  don't  seem  no  time  at  all  sence  you  all  was 
boys  at  Putnam  Hall,"  and  he  grinned  broadly, 
showing  a  mouthful  of  ivories. 

"And  to  think  two  of  'em  are  married  now 
and  settled  down!"  added  Jack  Ness.  "I  can't 
hardly  believe  it.  First  thing  you  know  we'll  have 
a  lot  of  young  Rovers  runnin'  around  this  farm." 

"Well,  if  they  is  any  young  Robers  aroun'  yere, 
I's  gwine  to  serve  'em  jest  like  I  served  the 
others,"  answered  Aleck  Pop,  and  then  went  off, 
nodding  his  head  vigorously  to  himself. 

The  only  drawback  to  the  proposed  tour,  so 
far  as  Sam  was  concerned,  was  the  fact  that 
Chester  Waltham  and  his  sister  Ada  were  going 
to  accompany  them  as  far  as  Colorado  Springs. 
Then  the  Walthams  proposed  to  continue  to  the 
Pacific  Coast,  while  the  Rovers  were  to  return  to 
the  East. 

"Are  those  two  people  going  in  a  big"  touring 
car  all  by  themselves?"  questioned  Samv  when 
he  heard  of  this  arrangement. 


GETTING  READY  FOR  THE  TOUR         205 

"They  are  not  going  to  take  the  touring  car, 
Sam,"  answered  Grace.  "Ada  wrote  me  that  her 
brother  had  purchased  a  new  runabout — a  very 
speedy  and  comfortable  car — and  they  are  going 
to  use  that  instead." 

"Humph!  I  don't  see  why  they  had  to  stick 
themselves  in  with  our  crowd,"  grumbled  the 
yotmgest  Rover.  "Why  didn't  they  take  the  trip 
by  themselves?" 

"Well,  maybe  I  am  to  blame  for  that,"  an 
swered  Grace.  "I  told  Ada  all  about  our  proposed 
trip,  and  said  I  was  sorry  that  she  couldn't  go 
with  us.  You  must  remember  she  treated  me 
very  nicely  while  we  were  at  the  seminary,  espe 
cially  after  Dora  and  Nellie  left." 

"Oh,  I  don't  object  to  Ada,"  answered  Sam. 
"Just  the  same,  I  think  it  would  be  nicer  if  we 
could  go  off  by  ourselves.  Chester  Waltham 
and  his  sister  don't  seem  to  fit  in  with  us  exactly." 

"Well,  I  think  Chester  Waltham  is  a  very  nice 
young  man,  and  certainly  he  has  given  me  some 
splendid  rides,"  answered  Grace,  and  then  walked 
off  to  join  the  others,  leaving  Sam  to  do  some 
thinking  which  was  not  altogether  agreeable. 

The  start  was  to  be  made  from  the  farm,  and 
the  Walthams  had  written  that  they  would  be  on 
hand  early,  stopping  for  the  night  at  the  hotel 
in  Cornville,  some  miles  away. 


206  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

On  the  Friday  before  the  Monday  set  for  the 
start,  all  three  of  the  Rover  boys  went  down  to 
New  York  City,  to  the  offices  of  the  newly 
formed  Rover  Company  in  Wall  Street.  They 
'found  their  father  in  charge,  and  also  several  as 
sistants,  and  everything  seemed  to  be  in  good  run 
ning  order.  Dick  and  Tom  went  over  a  number  of 
business  matters  with  their  parent,  and  Mr.  Rover 
declared  that  he  could  get  along  very  well  with 
out  the  boys  for  at  least  a  month  or  six  weeks. 

After  the  visit  to  the  offices  Dick  and  Tom 
took  Sam  up  to  their  apartments  on  Riverside 
Drive,  where  they  packed  a  number  of  things 
wanted  by  themselves  and  Dora  and  Nellie. 

"Certainly  a  beautiful  location,"  remarked 
Sam,  as  he  walked  to  one  of  the  front  windows, 
to  gaze  out  on  the  Hudson  River. 

"It  certainly  is  a  fine  place,  Sam,"  answered 
Tom,  "and  Nellie  and  I  enjoy  it  just  as  much 
as  Dick  and  Dora  do."  Tom  looked  at  his 
younger  brother  questioningly.  "I  suppose  now 
that  you  have  graduated,  Sam,  you  and  Grace 
will  be  joining  us  here  some  day  ?" 
'  "I  don't  know  about  that,  Tom."  Sam's  face 

flushed  painfully.    "You  see  I — I "  and  then 

he  broke  off,  unable  to  proceed. 

"You  don't  mean  there  is  anything  wrong  be 
tween  you  and  Grace,  do  you?"  demanded  the 


< 


GETTING  READY  FOR  THE  TOUR         207 

brother,  coming  closer.  Dick  had  gone  to  an 
other  room  and  so  was  out  of  hearing. 

"I  can't  say  that  anything  is  wrong  exactly, 
Tom,"  returned  Sam,  hesitatingly.  "You  see, 
I— I " 

"Is  it  that  Chester  Waltham?"  demanded  the 
other,  quickly. 

Sam  nodded.  "Of  course  I  can't  blame  him, 
and  I  can't  blame  Grace,  for  the  matter  of  that. 
It  isn't  every  girl  who  gets  the  chance  to  marry 
a  young  millionaire." 

"What !    Has  he  proposed  to  her?"  cried  Tom. 

"Oh,  no,  I  don't  think  that,  Tom.  But  he  has 
been  very  friendly." 

"Well,  I  wouldn't  stand  for  it,  Sam.  I  think 
Grace  ought  to  marry  you,  and  I  would  tell  her 
so  and  have  it  settled." 

"That's  all  well  enough  to  say,  Tom.  But  just 
the  same  I  haven't  any  right  to  stand  in  her  light. 
I  haven't  got  any  such  money  to  offer  her  as  this 
millionaire " 

"Rot  f  You've  got  enough  money  to  make  any 
girl  comfortable,  and  that  is  all  that  is  necessary. 
You  go  on  in  and  win!"  and  Tom  clapped  his 
younger  brother  on  the  shoulder  encouragingly. 
Then  Dick  entered,  along  with  a  maid  left  to 
take  care  of  the  apartments,  and  the  talk  came 
to  an  end. 


208  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

While  the  boys  were  doing  this,  the  girls  had 
gone  to  Cedarville,  and  there  assisted  Mrs.  Stan 
hope  and  Mrs.  Laning  in  getting  ready  for  the 
tour.  Dora's  mother  had  a  hired  chauffeur  to 
run  her  car,  and  this  man  was  to  bring  the  party 
to  Valley  Brook  in  the  Stanhope  machine. 

"I  am  very  glad  you  are  going,  Mother,"  said 
Dora  to  her  parent.  "I  am  sure  this  trip  will 
do  you  a  world  of  good."  For  Mrs.  Stanhope 
was  not  in  the  best  of  health  and  sometimes  grew 
quite  nervous  when  left  too  long  to  herself. 

"It  will  be  a  wonderful  trip,  no  doubt,"  an 
swered  the  mother,  "and  I  am  sure  I  shall  enjoy 
it  greatly,  especially  with  all  you  young  folks 
along  to  brighten  matters  up." 

"It  will  certainly  be  a  wonderful  tour  for  me," 
declared  Mrs.  Laning,  who  had  always  been  more 
or  less  of  a  home  body.  "Gracious!  Why,  I 
can  remember  when  I  used  to  think  a  trip  of  ten 
or  twenty  miles  on  the  steam  cars  was  wonder 
ful.  Now  just  to  think  of  our  going  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  miles  in  an  automobile!" 

"The  most  wonderful  part  of  it  to  me  is  that 
we  can  afford  to  have  you  take  such  a  trip  as 
that,  Mother,"  chuckled  John  Laning.  "Sakes 
alive!  when  I  was  a  young  man  the  height  of 
my  ambition  was  to  own  about  fifty  acres  free 
and  clear,  along  with  a  couple  of  horses  and  half 


GETTING  READY  FOR  THE  TOUR         209 

a  dozen  cows.  And  now  look  at  us — here  we 
own  over  three  hundred  acres,  got  over  fifty  head 
of  cattle,  over  two  thousand  chickens,  and  the 
finest  orchards  in  this  part  of  the  state.  I  tell 
you  we've  got  a  lot  to  be  thankful  for,"  he  added 
with  great  satisfaction. 

"But  I'll  miss  you,  John,  while  I'm  away," 
said  his  faithful  wife. 

"Don't  you  worry  about  me,  Mother.  I'd  just 
as  lief  stay  here  and  see  all  them  big  crops 
a-comin'  in,"  announced  the  farmer.  "That's  fun 
enough  for  me.  You  go  ahead  with  the  young 
people  and  enjoy  yourself.  You've  been  in  har 
ness  long  enough  and  you  deserve  it." 

Mr.  Laning  had  had  his  ears  wide  open  during 
the  visit  of  his  daughters  and  Dora,  and  before 
his  wife  and  the  others  left  for  Valley  Brook  he 
called  Mrs.  Laning  aside. 

"What's  this  I  hear  about  Grace  going  out 
with  a  young  millionaire  named  Waltham?"  he 
asked,  curiously. 

"I  can't  tell  you  much  more  than  what  you've 
already  heard,  John,"  she  answered. 

"I  thought  Grace  had  her  eyes  set  on  Sam 
Rover,"  went  on  the  husband,  looking  sharply  at 
his  wife. 

"That  is  what  I  thought  myself.  But  it  seems 
this  young  millionaire  has  been  calling  on  his 


210  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

sister  at  Hope,  and  he's  been  taking  his  sister 
and  Grace  out  in  his  automobile  and  acting  very 
nicely  about  it.  Grace  seems  to  be  quite  taken 
with  him." 

"Huh !  A  young  millionaire,  eh  ?  Maybe  he's 
only  amusing  himself  with  her.  You  had  better 
caution  her  about  him." 

"No,  John,  I  don't  think  that  would  do  any 
good.  In  fact,  it  might  do  a  great  deal  of  harm," 
declared  the  wife.  "Grace  is  old  enough  to  know 
what  she  is  doing." 

"Yes,  but  if  she  has  made  some  promises  to 
Sam  Rover " 

"I  am  not  sure  that  she  has  made  any  prom 
ises.  Sam  has  been  very  attentive  to  her, — but 
just  because  Tom  married  Nellie  is  no  reason 
why  Grace  should  marry  Sam." 

"Oh,  I  know  that.  But,  somehow,  I  thought 
they  had  it  all  settled  between  'em,  and  I  cer 
tainly  like  Sam.  He's  a  nice,  clean-cut  boy." 

"Yes.  I  like  Sam,  too."  Mrs.  Laning  heaved  a 
deep  sigh.  "But,  just  the  same,  we  had  better  not 
interfere.  You  know  how  it  was  when  we  got 
married,"  and  she  looked  fondly  at  her  husband. 

"You  bet  I  do !"  he  returned,  and  then  put  his 
arm  over  her  shoulder  and  kissed  her  gently. 
"Well,  let  us  hope  it  all  comes  out  for  the  best," 
he  added,  and  walked  off  to  go  to  work. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A    MOMENT    OF    PERIL 

"THIS  is  the  life!" 

"That's  right,  Tom.  This  kind  of  touring  suits 
me  to  death,"  returned  Sam  Rover. 

"Tom,  how  many  miles  an  hour  are  you  mak 
ing?"  broke  in  his  wife.  "Remember  what  you 
promised  me — that  you  would  keep  within  the 
limit  of  the  law." 

"And  that  is  just  what  I  am  doing,  Nellie," 
he  answered.  "But  it's  mighty  hard  to  do  it, 
believe  me,  when  you  are  at  the  wheel  of  such  a 
fine  auto  as  this.  Why,  I  could  send  her  ahead 
twice  as  fast  if  I  wanted  to!" 

"Don't  you  dare !"  burst  out  Grace,  who  sat  in 
the  tonneau  beside  her  sister.  "If  you  do  I'll 
make  you  let  Sam  drive." 

"He's  got  to  let  me  drive  anyway  after  din 
ner,"  said  the  youngest  Rover  boy.  "That's  the 
arrangement." 

It  was  the  second  day  of  the  tour,  and  Valley 
Brook  Farm,  and  in  fact  the  whole  central  por- 
211 


212  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

tion  of  New  York  State,  had  been  left  far  be 
hind.  The  weather  had  turned  out  perfect,  and 
so  far  they  had  encountered  very  little  in  the 
way  of  bad  roads.  Once  they  had  had  to  make 
a  detour  of  two  miles  on  account  of  a  new  bridge 
being  built,  but  otherwise  they  had  forged 
straight  ahead. 

Tom  and  his  wife,  with  Grace  and  Sam.  oc 
cupied  the  first  automobile,  the  remaining  space 
in  the  roomy  tonneau  being  taken  up  by  various 
suitcases  and  other  baggage.  Behind  this  car 
came  the  one  driven  by  Dick  Rover.  Beside  him 
was  his  wife,  with  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Lan- 
ing  behind  them.  Some  distance  to  the  rear  was 
the  third  machine,  a  brand-new  runabout,  con 
taining  Chester  Waltham  and  his  sister  Ada. 
Waltham  had  at  first  wished  to  take  the  lead, 
but  had  then  dropped  behind,  stating  he  did  not 
wish  to  get  the  others  to  follow  him  on  any 
wrong  road. 

"You  go  ahead,"  he  had  said  to  the  Rovers. 
"Then  if  you  go  wrong  you  will  have  only  your 
selves  to  blame." 

"Well,  we  don't  know  any  more  about  these 
roads  than  you  do,  Waltham,"  Dick  had  replied. 
"We  are  simply  going  by  the  guide  book  and  the 
signs." 

"I  hate  to  use  up  my  brains  studying  an  auto- 


A  MOMENT  OF  PERIL  213 

mobile  guide,"  Chester  Waltham  had  returned 
with  a  yawn  "When  I  am  on  an  outing  I  like  to 
take  it  just  as  easy  as  I  possibly  can." 

"It's  a  wonder  you  didn't  bring  a  paid  chauf 
feur  along,"  had  been  Sam's  comment. 

"I  thought  something  of  doing  that,  but  my 
sister  objected.  She  said  if  she  was  to  go  along 
I  must  run  the  car.  You  see,  she  wants  me  to 
risk  my  neck  as  well  as  her  own,"  and  the  young 
millionaire  had  smiled  grimly. 

They  had  been  running  for  several  miles  over 
a  road  that  was  comparatively  straight.  On  either 
side  were  tidy  farms,  with  occasional  farm 
houses  and  barns.  Now,  however,  the  road  be 
came  winding,  and  they  soon  passed  into  a  patch 
of  timber. 

"Four  miles  to  the  next  town,"  announced 
Sam,  as  they  rolled  past  a  signboard.  He  looked 
at  his  watch.  "Quarter  after  eleven.  Do  you 
think  we  had  better  stop  there  for  dinner,  Tom?" 

"No,  we  are  going  on  to  Fernwood,  six  miles 
farther,"  was  the  reply.  "They  say  the  hotel 
there  is  much  better.  And,  believe  me,  when  you 
get  away  from  the  big  cities  the  best  hotel  you 
can  find  in  a  town  is  none  too  good." 

It  had  been  rather  warm  on  the  open  road, 
and  all  those  in  the  automobiles  welcotned  the 
shade  of  the  woods. 


214  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"It's  a  pity  we  didn't  bring  our  lunch  along," 
said  Dora  to  Dick,  as  they  moved  along  at  a 
slower  rate  of  speed.  "We  could  have  had  a 
good  time  picnicking  along  here." 

"Yes,  we'll  have  to  dine  out  in  the  woods 
sometimes  on  this  trip,"  put  in  Mrs.  Laning.  "I 
like  that  sort  of  thing  much  better  than  taking 
all  our  meals  in  hotels  or  restaurants." 

The  first  automobile  had  reached  a  spring  by 
the  roadside,  and  here  Tom  came  to  a  halt,  pres 
ently  followed  by  the  others.  Collapsible  cups 
were  handy,  and  all  were  ready  for  a  drink 
of  the  pure,  cool  water  which  the  spring  af 
forded. 

"Fine!  isn't  it?"  exclaimed  Dick,  after  the 
ladies  had  been  served  and  he  had  had  a  cupful 
himself. 

"You're  right,"  answered  Tom.  "A  good  deal 
better  than  that  bottled  water  we  have  down  in 
the  New  York  offices." 

"But  it  can't  beat  the  water  on  the  farm,"  said 
Sam.  "I  must  say  no  matter  where  I  go  the 
water  doesn't  taste  quite  as  good  as  that  at  Val 
ley  Brook." 

"Oh,  that's  only  sentiment,  Sam !"  cried  Grace. 
"Now,  I  think  the  water  at  Cedarville  is  just 
lovely." 

"I   think   you   are  taking  a   little   chance   in 


A  MOMENT  OF  PERIL  215 

drinking  from  a  spring  like  this,"  was  Chester 
Waltham's  comment.  "It  may  be  pure,  and  then 
again  it  may  be  full  of  all  sorts  of  germs." 

"Sure!  it  may  be  full  of  tadpoles  and  bull 
frogs,  too,"  added  Tom,  gaily.  "But  you've  got 
to  take  some  chances  in  this  life,  as  the  fly  said 
when  he  flew  down  into  the  molasses  jug  and 
got  stuck  there,"  and  at  this  little  joke  there  was 
a  general  smile. 

Beyond  the  spring  the  road  went  uphill  for  a 
long  distance,  and  then  took  a  turn  to  the  south 
ward,  past  more  farms  and  over  a  bridge  span 
ning  a  tiny  stream.  Then  they  came  to  a  small 
town,  looking  dry,  dusty  and  almost  deserted  in 
the  midday,  summer  sun. 

"I  am  glad  we  didn't  arrange  to  stop  here," 
was  Nellie's  comment,  as  she  glanced  around. 

The  sleepy  little  town  was  soon  left  behind, 
and  once  again  they  found  themselves  passing 
over  a  series  of  hills,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
farms  and  patches  of  woodland.  Then  they  came 
to  a  place  which  was  very  uneven  and  filled  with 
rocks. 

"Got  to  be  careful  here  unless  we  want  to  get 
a  puncture,"  announced  Tom,  and  at  once  re 
duced  speed. 

They  were  running  on  another  winding  ro^d 
which  seemed  to  bear  off  to  the  northward.  H^"e 


216  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

there  was  something  of  a  cliff,  with  great,  rocky 
boulders  standing  out  in  bold  relief. 

Suddenly,  as  Tom  reached  a  bend,  he  saw  a 
man  coming  towards  them.  He  was  an  Italian, 
and  carried  a  small  red  flag  in  one  hand. 

"Back!  You-a  git-a  back!"  cried  the  man, 
waving  his  red  flag  at  them.  "Bias' !  Bias' ! 
You  git-a  back!" 

The  grade  was  downward  and  the  man  had 
appeared  so  suddenly  that  before  Tom  could 
bring  the  first  automobile  to  a  standstill  he  had 
gotten  at  least  a  hundred  feet  beyond  the  Italian, 
while  the  second  car,  run  by  Dick,  was  by  the 
man's  side. 

"What's  the  trouble  here?"  demanded  Dick. 

"You  git-a  back !  You  git-a  back !"  exclaimed 
the  Italian,  frantically.  "Bias'  go  off!  You  git-a 
back!" 

"Hi,  Tom,  come  back  here!"  yelled  Dick. 
"This  fellow  says  there  is  a  blast  going  off." 

Tom  was  already  trying  to  heed  the  warning. 
He  had  stopped  so  suddenly,  however,  that  he 
had  stalled  his  engine  and  now  he  had  to  take 
time  in  which  to  use  the  electric  starter.  In 
the  meanwhile,  the  Italian  workman  ran  still 
farther  back,  to  warn  Chester  Waltham  and  any 
body  else  who  might  be  coming  along  the 
road. 


A  MOMENT  OF  PERIL  217 

"Oh,  Tom !  can  you  turn  around  ?"  questioned 
his  wife  anxiously. 

"Maybe  you  had  better  run  the  car  backward," 
suggested  Sam.  He  had  noted  the  narrowness 
of  the  roadway  and  knew  it  would  be  no  easy 
matter  to  turn  around  in  such  limited  space. 
Besides  that,  there  was  a  deep  gully  on  one 
side,  so  that  they  would  run  the  risk  of  over 
turning. 

"Yes,  I'll  back  if  Dick  will  only  give  me 
room,"  muttered  Tom,  as  he  pressed  the  lever 
of  the  self-starter.  Then  after  the  power  was 
once  more  generated  he  threw  in  the  reverse  gear 
and  allowed  the  car  to  back  up. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Tom,"  yelled  Dick. 
"Come  on,  I'll  get  out  of  the  way,"  and  he,  too, 
began  to  back  until  he  was  close  on  to  the  Wal- 
tham  runabout. 

"Look  out!  Don't  bump  into  me!"  yelled 
Chester  Waltham,  who  for  the  moment  seemed 
to  be  completely  bewildered  by  what  was  taking 
place.  "What's  the  matter  anyway?"  he  demand 
ed  of  the  Italian. 

"Oh,  Chester,  there  must  be  some  danger!" 
shrieked  his  sister.  "Say!  they  are  both  backing 
up.  Maybe  you  had  better  back  up  too." 

"All  right,  if  that's  what  they  want,"  answered 
the  young  millionaire,  and  then  in  his  hurry  tried 


2i8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

to  reverse  so  quickly  that  he,  too,  stalled  his 
engine. 

"Backup!  Back  up !"  called  out  Dick.  "We've 
got  to  get  out  of  here!  There  is  some  sort  of. 
blasting  going  on  ahead!" 

"Oh,  Dick,  be  careful!"  cried  Mrs.  Stanhope, 
and  sprang  up  in  the  tonneau  of  the  car  in  alarm, 
quickly  followed  by  Mrs.  Laning. 

"You  will  run  into  Mr.  Waltham,  sure!" 
wailed  the  latter. 

"Don't  smash  into  me !  Don't  smash  into  me !" 
yelled  the  young  millionaire  in  sudden  terror. 
"If  you  bump  into  me  you'll  send  me  into  the 
ditch!" 

By  this  time  Dick's  car  was  less  than  three 
feet  away  from  the  runabout,  while  Tom's  ma 
chine  was  still  some  distance  farther  up  the 
road. 

Boom!  There  was  a  distant  explosion,  not 
very  loud;  and  following  this  came  a  clatter  as 
of  stones  falling  on  the  rocks.  None  of  the 
stones,  however,  fell  anywhere  near  the  three 
machines. 

"Oh!"  cried  Grace. 

"Is  that  all  there  is  to  it?"  queried  Nellie, 
anxiously. 

"I  don't  know,"  returned  Tom.  He  had  now 
brought  his  automobile  once  more  to  a  standstill. 


A  MOMENT  OF  PERIL  219' 

All  in  the  three  machines  waited  for  a  moment. 
Then  they  gazed  enquiringly  at  the  Italian  who 
stood  behind  them. 

"Say,  is  that  all  the  blasting  there  is?"  de 
manded  Chester  Waltham. 

"Dat's  heem,"  responded  the  foreigner.  "He 
go  off  all  right,  boss.  You  go,"  and  he  waved 
the  stick  of  his  flag  for  them  to  proceed. 

"Some  scare — and  all  for  nothing,"  muttered 
Tom.  "The  way  he  carried  on  you  would  think 
they  were  going  to  shake  down  half  of  yonder 
cliff." 

"Oh,  Tom,  they  don't  dare  to  take  chances," 
returned  Nellie.  "Why,  if  we  had  gone  on  we 
might  have  been  showered  with  those  stones  we 
heard  falling." 

"You  fellows  want  to  be  careful  how  you 
back  up,"  grumbled  Chester  Waltham.  "You 
came  pretty  close  to  smashing  into  me." 

"Well,  you  should  have  backed  up  yourself 
when  you  heard  us  yell,"  retorted  Dick,  sharply. 
"We  didn't  know  how  bad  that  blast  was  going 
to  be." 

Tom  had  already  started  forward,  and  in  a1 
moment  more  Dick  and  Chester  Waltham  fol 
lowed.  But  hardly  had  they  done  this  when  the 
Italian  on  the  road  suddenly  let  out  another  yell. 

"Boss !    Boss !    You-a  stop !"  he  cried.  "You-a 


220  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

stop  queek !  De  two-a  bias' !  You-a  stop !"  and 
he  danced  up  and  down  in  added  alarm. 

Those  who  had  gone  on  paid  no  attention  to 
him,  and  an  instant  later  passed  around  a  corner 
of  the  cliff.  As  they  did  this  they  saw  a  man 
on  the  open  hillside  waving  his  arm  and  shouting 
something  they  could  not  understand. 

"Tom,  something  is  wrong "  began  Sam, 

when,  of  a  sudden,  his  words  were  swallowed  up 
in  a  fierce  roar  and  rumble  that  seemed  to  shake 
the  very  ground  beneath  them.  They  saw  a  flash 
of  fire  in  an  opening  of  the  cliff,  and  the  next 
instant  a  burst  of  flames  and  smoke  was  followed 
by  a  rain  of  rocks  all  around  them ! 


CHAPTER  XXI 

NEWS  OF  BLACKIE  CROWDEN 

IT  was  a  moment  of  extreme  peril,  and  what 
made  it  seem  worse  was  the  fact  that  the  Rovers 
and  the  others  could  do  nothing  to  save  them 
selves.  Rocks,  small  stones  and  dirt  flew  all 
around  them,  striking  with  loud  noises  the  hoods 
and  other  metal  parts  of  the  automobiles,  and 
even  landing  in  the  tonneaus  of  the  larger  cars. 

"Hold  up  the  robes!  Protect  yourselves  with 
the  robes!"  yelled  Dick,  but  before  the  ladies 
could  heed  his  words  the  rain  of  rocks,  small 
stones  and  dirt  had  come  to  an  end. 

"Great  Caesar!  that's  a  fine  happening!" 
groaned  Tom,  who  had  been  hit  on  the  shoulder 
by  a  fair-sized  stone.  He  looked  quickly  at  those 
in  the  car  with  him.  "Any  of  you  hurt?" 

"I  got  hit  in  the  head  with  something,"  re 
turned  Sam.  "But  it  didn't  hurt  very  much. 
How  about  you?"  and  he  looked  at  Grace  and  at 
Tom's  wife. 

"I — I  don't  think  I  am  hurt  any,"  faltered 

221 


222  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Grace,  as  she  looked  at  some  stones  and  dirt  on 
the  robe  over  her  lap. 

"I'm  all  right,"  answered  Tom's  wife.  "But, 
oh  dear !  something — I  think  it  must  have  been  a 
big  stone — flew  directly  past  my  face!" 
1  "I  hope  the  others  got  off  as  well  as  we  did," 
remarked  Tom.  "Let  us  go  and  see,"  and,  suit 
ing  the  action  to  the  word,  he  left  the  machine, 
followed  by  his  brother. 

The  second  car  had  a  dent  in  the  hood  made 
by  a  stone  as  big  as  Tom's  fist.  All  those  in  the 
automobile  had  been  hit  by  some  smaller  stones 
and  also  covered  with  loose  dirt,  but  no  one  had 
been  seriously  injured,  although  Mrs.  Laning  de 
clared  that  some  of  the  dirt  had  entered  her  left 
ear  and  also  her  eye. 

"Let  me  look  at  that  eye,"  cried  Mrs.  Stan 
hope,  as  soon  as  she  had  recovered  from  the 
shock  of  the  second  blast.  And  then  she  went 
to  work  on  the  optic,  and  presently  Mrs.  Laning 
declared  that  the  eye  was  as  well  as  ever. 

As  Chester  Waltham  and  his  sister  had  been 
/farther  back  on  the  road,  around  the  turn  of 
the  cliff,  they  had  not  felt  the  effects  of  the  sec 
ond  explosion  excepting  a  slight  shower  of  dirt 
which  had  covered  the  front  of  the  runabout. 
But  the  young  millionaire  and  his  sister  were 
greatly  excited,  and  the  former  got  out  of  his 


NEWS  OF  BLACKIE  CROWDEN  223 

machine  to  run  up  to  the  Italian  with  the  red 
flag  and  shake  his  fist  in  the  man's  face. 

"You — you  rascal!"  he  spluttered.  "What  do 
you  mean  by  sending  us  into  such  peril  as  this? 
You  ought  to  be  put  into  prison !" 

"I-a,  I-a  forget  heem,"  faltered  the  foreign 
er  helplessly.  "I  tink  only  one  bias'.  I  forget 
two  bias',"  and  he  looked  very  downhearted. 

But  this  time  the  man  who  had  been  up  on 
the  hillside  came  running  to  the  scene  of  the 
mishap,  followed  by  several  of  the  workmen. 

"Anybody  hurt?"  sang  out  the  man,  who  was 
an  American  in  charge  of  the  blasting  gang. 

"Nothing  very  serious,"  answered  Dick.  "But 
it  might  have  been,"  he  added  sharply.  "You 
fellows  ought  to  be  more  careful." 

"I  told  Tony  to  keep  everybody  back  for  two 
blasts,"  answered  the  man.  "Why  didn't  you 
stay  back  until  you  heard  the  second  blast?" 

"He  told  us  to  go  on,"  answered  Tom. 

"I  make  mistake,"  cried  the  Italian.  "You 
forgive,  boss,"  and  he  looked  pleadingly  at  Dick 
and  the  others. 

"Well,  you  don't  want  to  make  any  more  mis 
takes  like  that,"  returned  Dick.  "If  we  had  got 
ten  a  little  closer  somebody  might  have  been 
killed." 

"That's  the  second  time  you  have  failed  to 


224  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

obey  orders,  Tony,"  said  the  gang  master,  stern 
ly.  "You  go  on  up  to  the  shanty  and  get  your 
time  and  clear  out.  I  won't  have  such  a  care 
less  man  as  you  around." 

At  these  words  the  Italian  looked  much  crest 
fallen.  He  began  to  jabber  away  in  a  mixture 
of  English  and  his  own  tongue,  both  to  his  boss 
and  to  our  friends.  But  the  boss  would  not  listen 
to  him,  and  ordered  him  away,  and  then  he  de 
parted,  looking  decidedly  sullen. 

"I  can't  do  anything  with  some  of  these  fel 
lows,"  explained  the  man  in  charge  of  the  blast 
ing.  "I  tell  them  just  what  to  do,  and  some 
times  they  mind  me  and  sometimes  they  don't. 
I'm  very  sorry  this  thing  happened,  but  I'm 
thankful  at  the  same  time  that  you  got  through 
as  well  as  you  did,"  and  he  smiled  a  little. 

"You're  not  half  as  thankful  as  we  are,"  put 
in  Sam,  dryly. 

"I  hope  there  is  no  damage  done  to  your  cars, 
but  if  there  is  I'm  willing  to  pay  for  it,"  went 
on  the  man. 

"A  few  dents,  but  I  guess  that  is  all,"  an 
swered  Dick,  after  a  look  at  both  the  car  he  was 
driving  and  the  one  run  by  his  brother.  "We'll 
let  those  go,  for  we  are  on  a  tour  and  have  no 
time  to  waste  here." 

"All  right,  sir,  just  as  you  say.     But  here  is 


NEWS  OF  BLACKIE  CROWDEN  22$ 

my  card ;  I  don't  want  to  sneak  out  of  anything 
for  which  I'm  responsible,"  continued  the  man. 
"If  you  find  anything  wrong  later  on  you  let  me 
know  and  I'll  fix  it  up  with  you." 

"We  ought  to  sue  this  fellow  for  damages!" 
cried  Chester  Waltham,  wrathfully.  "It's  an 
outrage  to  treat  us  like  this." 

"Were  you  hurt  in  any  way?"  asked  the  man, 
quietly. 

"We  got  a  lot  of  dirt  and  stones  on  the  run 
about,"  growled  Waltham. 

"Oh,  Chester!  don't  quarrel  over  the  matter," 
entreated  his  sister,  in  a  low  tone.  "The  man 
didn't  want  to  do  it." 

"Oh,  these  follows  are  too  fresh,"  grumbled 
the  young  millionaire.  "The  authorities  ought 
to  take  them  in  hand,"  and  then  he  reentered  his 
runabout,  looking  in  anything  but  a  happy  mood. 

"Do  you  think  we  can  go  ahead  on  this  road 
now?"  asked  Dick,  after  a  few  more  words  had 
passed  between  the  Rovers  and  the  man  who  had 
the  blasting  in  charge. 

"I  think  so,"  was  the  reply.  "Just  wait  a  few 
minutes  and  I'll  have  my  gang  of  men  clear  a 
way  for  you."  He  was  evidently  a  fair  and 
square  individual  who  wanted  to  do  the  right 
thing  in  every  particular,  and  the  Rovers  could 
not  help  but  like  him. 


226  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"It  was  all  that  Italian's  fault,"  remarked  Snm 
to  Tom,  while  they  were  waiting  for  the  road  to 
be  cleared  of  the  largest  of  the  rocks.  "If  he 
had  kept  us  back  as  he  was  ordered  to  do  there 
would  have  been  no  trouble." 

"He  looked  mighty  mad  when  he  went  off," 
was  Tom's  answer.  "If  that  fellow  in  charge 
here  doesn't  look  out,  that  chap  may  put  up 
some  job  on  him." 

Inside  of  ten  minutes  the  man  in  charge  of 
the  blasting  told  them  they  could  go  ahead,  and 
so  on  they  went  as  before,  with  Tom  again  in 
the  lead.  As  they  passed  by  they  saw  numerous 
places  along  the  face  of  the  cliff  where  other 
blasting  had  taken  place.  The  man  had  ex 
plained  that  the  work  was  being  done  by  the  con 
tractors  in  order  to  widen  the  road  in  that 
vicinity. 

About  a  mile  and  a  half  beyond  the  cliff,  nest 
ling  in  the  midst  of  a  number  of  pretty  farms, 
they  came  to  the  town  of  Fernwood,  the  place 
at  which  they  were  to  stop  for  their  midday  meal. 
They  had  the  name  of  the  leading  hotel  on  their 
list,  and  found  the  hostelry  a  fairly  large  and 
comfortable  one. 

"I  think  we'll  want  a  good  washing  up  after 
that  experience,"  remarked  Dick,  when  the  auto 
mobiles  had  been  placed  in  the  hotel  garage. 


NEWS  OF  BLACKIE  CROW  DEN  227 

"My!  but  that  was  a  narrow  escape!"  and  he 
shuddered  at  the  recollection. 

"You  fellows  were  mighty  easy  with  that 
man,"  observed  Chester  Waltham.  "He  ought 
to  have  been  made  to  suffer  for  his  carelessness." 

"Well,  if  you  want  to  sue  him,  Waltham, 
you  go  ahead  and  do  it,"  said  Dick  somewhat 
sharply.  He  was  beginning  to  like  the  young 
millionaire  less  and  less  the  more  he  came  in 
contact  with  him. 

A  table  had  been  reserved  for  the  entire  party, 
and  soon  the  well-cooked  meal  put  even  Chester 
Waltham  in  better  humor.  Now  that  the  danger 
from  the  blast  was  a  thing  of  the  past,  they 
could  afford  to  smile  over  the  somewhat  thrilling 
experience. 

"Maybe  after  this  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to 
ride  with  the  tops  up."  said  Tom.  "Only  we'd 
have  to  make  them  stone  proof  as  well  as  rain 
proof,"  and  at  this  remark  there  was  a  general 
smile. 

"Remember,  Tom,  I'm  to  be  at  the  wheel  this 
afternoon,"  announced  Sam,  who  thus  far  had 
not  had  much  chance  to  do  any  steering  on  the 
trip. 

"All  right,  little  boy,  you  for  the  pilot  act!" 
returned  his  fun-loving  brother,  gaily.  "But  re 
member  what  the  girls  told  you — no  speeding. 


228  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

The  law  in  this  state  is  four  and  one-eighth  miles 
an  hour,  except  on  turning  corners,  where  it 
is  two  and  one-sixteenth  miles,"  and  at  this  little 
joke  there  was  a  titter  from  the  girls. 

As  it  was  so  warm  during  the  middle  of  the' 
day,  it  had  been  decided  that  they  should  not 
proceed  on  their  tour  until  about  three  o'clock. 
This  gave  the  ladies  a  chance  to  rest  themselves, 
something  which  was  particularly  satisfying  to 
Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Laning. 

"I  think  I'll  take  a  look  around  the  town," 
said  Tom,  after  the  ladies  had  gone  to  one  of 
the  upper  rooms.  "Will  you  go  along?"  and 
he  looked  enquiringly  at  his  brothers  and  Ches 
ter  Waltham. 

"I  am  going  to  write  a  letter  to  dad,"  answered 
Dick. 

"I  think  I'll  write  a  letter  myself  and  enjoy 
a  smoke,"  came  from  the  young  millionaire. 

"I'm  with  you,  Tom,"  returned  his  younger 
brother.  "Let's  go  out  and  see  if  we  can't  cap 
ture  a  nice  box  of  chocolates  for  the  girls." 

Tom  and  Sam  were  soon  on  the  way.  The 
main  street  of  Fernwood  contained  less  than  four 
blocks  of  stores,  and  there  was  a  cross  street 
with  half  a  dozen  other  establishments.  But  the 
place  was  a  railroad  center  and,  consequently, 
was  of  quite  some  importance. 


NEWS  OF  BLACK1E  CROW  DEN  229 

Having  walked  up  and  down  the  main  street, 
and  procured  a  box  of  chocolates  and  a  few 
other  things,  the  two  Rovers  wandered  off  in 
the  direction  of  the  railroad  station.  A  train  had 
just  come  in,  and  they  watched  the  passengers 
alight  and  then  others  get  aboard.  They  were 
particularly  interested  in  the  discomfiture  of  a 
fat  traveling  salesman  who  came  puffing  up  on 
the  platform,  a  suitcase  in  each  hand,  just  in 
time  to  see  the  train  depart.  The  fat  man  was 
very  angry,  but  this  availed  him  nothing. 

"It's  a  shame!  a  shame!"  howled  the  traveling 
salesman,  as  he  threw  his  suitcases  down  in  dis 
gust.  "I  know  that  train  left  at  least  two  min 
utes  ahead  of  time,"  he  stormed  to  the  station 
master. 

"You're  wrong  there,  mister,"  was  the  ready 
answer.  "She  was  a  minute  late." 

"Nonsense!  Nonsense!"  stormed  the  disap 
pointed  individual.  "I  tell  you  she  left  ahead  of 
time.  I  ought  to  sue  the  railroad  company  for 
this,"  and  he  shook  his  head  savagely. 

"Gosh!  we  are  up  against  people  who  want 
to  sue  everybody,"  was  Sam's  remark.  "That 
fellow  ought  to  join  Chester  Waltham,  and  then 
they  could  hire  one  lawyer  to  do  the  whole  busi 
ness." 

"I  might  have  been  here  five  minutes  ago  if 


230  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

I  hadn't  been  a  fool,"  stormed  the  fat  salesmant 
as  he  looked  for  comfort  at  the  two  Rovers. 
"That  comes  from  trying  to  be  accommodating. 
I  was  headed  for  this  place  when  down  there 
at  the  Ludding  House  I  met  a  fellow  who  wanted 
to  know  how  to  get  to  Stockbridge.  He  stut 
tered  so  that  it  took  me  about  five  minutes  to 
find  out  what  he  wanted." 

"Stuttered,  did  he?"  questioned  Tom,  cu 
riously. 

"He  sure  did  f  He  had  an  awful  stutter  with 
a  funny  little  whistle  in  between.  I  wish  I  hadn't 
waited  to  listen  to  him.  I  might  have  had  that 
train,  confound  it!"  went  on  the  fat  salesman, 
pulling  down  his  face. 

"Did  you  say  that  fellow  stuttered  and 
whistled?"  broke  in  Sam  eagerly. 

"He  certainly  did." 

"Will  you  tell  me  what  kind  of  a  looking  man 
he  was?" 

"Sure !"  answered  the  salesman,  and  then  start 
ed  to  give  as  good  a  description  of  the  individual 
as  his  recollection  would  permit.  . 

"It  must  have  been  Blackie  Crowden!"  cried' 
the  youngest  Rover,  before  the  man  had  finished. 

"I  don't  know  what  his  name  was,"  said  the 
salesman. 

"We  want  to  catch  that  man  the  worst  way/' 


NEWS  OF  BLACKIE  CROWDEN  231 

went  on  Sam.  "Have  you  any  idea  where  we 
can  find  him?" 

"He  asked  me  the  way  to  Stockbridge,  so  I 
suppose  he  was  going  there,"  was  the  reply. 

"Where  is  Stockbridge?" 

"It's  down  on  the  road  past  the  Ludding 
House.  It's  about  five  miles  from  here." 

"Do  you  suppose  the  man  was  going  to  walk 
it?" 

"I  don't  know  about  that.  You  must  remem 
ber  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  catch  the  train.  Hang 
the  luck!  I  wish  I  hadn't  stopped  to  talk  to 
that  man,"  went  on  the  fat  salesman. 

"And  I'm  very  glad  that  you  did  stop  to  talk 
to  him,"  returned  Sam.  He  looked  at  his  brother. 
"Come  on,  Tom,  let  us  see  if  we  can  find  Blackie 
Crowden." 


CHAPTER    XXII 

ON    THE    TRAIL 

THE  Ludding  House  was  on  the  side  street 
of  the  town,  about  three  blocks  from  the  hotel 
at  which  our  friends  were  stopping.  When  the 
two  Rovers  arrived  there  they  found  the  din 
ing-room  had  just  closed  and  only  two  men  and 
an  elderly  woman  were  in  sight. 

"We  are  looking  for  a  man  who  was  around 
here — I  think  his  name  was  Blackie  Crowden," 
said  Sam.  "He  is  a  man  who  stutters  very 
badly." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  remember  that  fellow,"  returned 
one  of  the  men  who  worked  around  the  hotel, 
"He  was  here  for  lunch." 

"Can  you  tell  me  where  he  is  now  ?" 

"No,  I  cannot" 

"That  man  who  stuttered  so  terribly  said 
something  about  going  to  Stockbridge,"  put  in 
the  woman.  "Perhaps  he  was  going  there." 

"On  foot?" 

"I  don't  think  so.     Most  likely  he  took  the 
stage.     That  left  about  ten  minutes  ago." 
232 


ON  THE  TRAIL  233 

"Was  the  man  alone?"  asked  Tom. 

"I  think  he  was,  although  I  am  not  sure.  He 
came  in  during  the  lunch  hour  and  after  that  I 
saw  him  talking  to  a  salesman  who  had  been 
staying  here — a  man  who  just  went  off  on  the 
train." 

"You  mean  a  man  who  went  off  to  catch  the 
train,"  grinned  Tom.  "He  didn't  get  it,  and  he's 
as  mad  as  a  hornet  on  that  account." 

The  two  Rovers  asked  several  more  questions 
and  found  out  that  the  stage  which  left  Fern- 
wood  twice  a  day  passed  through  Stockbridge 
on  its  way  to  Riverview,  six  miles  farther  on. 

"They  used  to  use  horses,"  explained  the  hotel 
man,  "but  last  year  Jerry  Lagger  got  himself  an 
auto,  so  he  makes  the  run  pretty  quick  these 
days." 

"Come  on,  Sam,  let's  get  one  of  our  autos  and 
follow  that  stage,"  cried  Tom,  and  set  off  on  a 
run  for  the  other  hotel,  quickly  followed  by  his 
brother.  They  burst  in  on  Dick  just  as  the  lat 
ter  was  posting  the  letter  which  he  had  written 
to  their  father. 

"Say!  that  would  be  great  if  it  was  Blackie 
Crowden  and  we  could  capture  him,"  cried  Dick, 
on  hearing  what  they  had  to  say.  "You  get  the 
auto  ready  while  I  tell  the  others  where  we  are 
going." 


234  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"It's  a  pity  Stockbridge  and  Riverview  are 
not  on  our  regular  tour,"  was  Sam's  comment. 

"Oh,  it's  just  as  well,"  answered  Tom.  "We 
may  have  lots  of  trouble  with  this  fellow  Crow- 
den,  and  it  will  be  just  as  well  if  the  girls  and 
the  ladies  are  not  in  it." 

One  of  the  touring  cars  was  quickly  run  to 
the  front  &i  the  hotel,  and  a  moment  later  Dick, 
who  had  rushed  upstairs  to  explain  matters  to 
the  others,  came  out  and  joined  his  brothers. 
Tom  was  at  the  wheel,  and  he  lost  no  time  in 
speeding  up  the  car,  and  on  they  went  along 
*he  dusty  road  in  the  direction  of  Stock- 
bridge. 

"I  do  hope  they  catch  that  fellow  and  get 
back  Mr.  Sanderson's  money,"  was  Grace's  com 
ment,  as  she  watched  the  departure  of  the  tour 
ing  car  out  of  one  of  the  upper  windows  of 
the  hotel. 

"What's  it  all  about?"  asked  Ada  Waltham, 
who  had  not  been  present  when  Dick  had  burst 
in  on  the  others.  She  was  quickly  told  and  then 
asked :  "Why  didn't  they  take  my  brother  along 
with  them?" 

"I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,  Ada/'  answered 
Grace.  "Perhaps  he  wasn't  around." 

"He  was  down  in  the  writing-room  with 
Dick." 


ON  THE  TRAIL  235 

"Well,  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  why  he  isn't 
with  them,"  was  the  reply. 

"I  don't  think  they  are  treating  Chester  just 
right,"  retorted  the  rich  girl,  rather  abruptly, 
and  then  left  the  room  with  her  nose  tilted  high 
in  the  air. 

"What  a  way  to  act!"  murmured  Nellie. 

"I  am  afraid  that  sooner  or  later  we  will  have 
some  sort  of  rupture  with  the  Walthams,"  was 
Dora's  comment.  She  gave  a  little  sigh.  "Too 
bad !  I  should  hate  to  have  anything  happen  to 
spoil  this  tour." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  the  boys  treat  Chester 
Waltham  just  right,"  returned  Grace,  somewhat 
coldly.  "They  treat  him  as  if  he  were  a  stranger 
— an  outsider,"  and  then  she,  too,  left  the  room, 
leaving  her  sister  and  Dora  to  gaze  at  each  other 
questioningly. 

Along  the  dusty  road  sped  the  touring  car, 
Tom  running  as  rapidly  as  safety  would  permit. 
Soon  Fernwood  was  left  far  behind  and  they 
began  to  ascend  a  slight  hill. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  crossroad,  and  here 
they  had  to  stop  to  study  a  much- faded  sign 
board,  so  as  to  decide  which  was  the  proper  road 
to  take.  Even  then,  as  they  continued  their  way, 
they  were  all  a  little  doubtful. 

"That  signboard  was  so  twisted  it  didn't  point 


236  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

right  down  this  road,"  was  Sam's  comment.  "It 
would  be  just  like  some  boys  to  twist  it  out  of 
shape  just  for  the  fun  of  sending  folks  on  the 
wrong  road." 

"Well,  I  played  a  joke  like  that  myself,  once,* 
confessed  Tom. 

"Then  if  we  are  on  the  wrong  road  on  account 
of  some  boys'  tricks,  Tom,  you'll  simply  be  get 
ting  paid  back  for  what  you  did,"  returned  his 
older  brother. 

Half  a  mile  more  was  covered,  and  then  the 
road  grew  rapidly  worse.  Tom  had  slowed 
down,  and  was  just  on  the  point  of  stopping 
when  a  low  hissing  sound  reached  the  ears  of  all. 

"Good-night!"  was  Tom's  comment. 

"What  is  it,  Tom,  a  puncture?"  queried  Sam. 

"Oh,  no,  it's  only  a  gas  well  trying  to  find  its 
way  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,"  was  the  dr)- 
comment.  "Everybody  out  and  to  work !" 

They  leaped  to  the  ground  and  soon  saw  that 
Sam's  conjecture  was  correct.  A  sharp  stone 
had  cut  into  one  of  the  front  shoes,  making  a 
hole  about  as  large  in  diameter  as  a  slate  pencil. 

"Might  know  a  thing  like  this  would  happen 
just  when  we  were  in  a  hurry,"  grumbled  Dick. 

"Never  mind,  now  is  our  time  to  make  a  rec 
ord,"  came  cheerfully  from  Sam.  He  glanced 
at  his  watch.  "Four  minutes  after  two.  Come 


ON  THE  TRAIL  237 

on,  let  us  see  how  quickly  we  can  get  that  new 
iire  on." 

All  threw  off  their  coats  and  caps  and  set  to 
wcrk  in  the  shade  of  some  trees.  While  one 
jacked  up  the  car,  another  worked  to  get  off  the 
damaged  shoe  and  inner  tube.  In  the  mean 
while,  the  third  got  ready  another  shoe  with  an 
inr*er  tube,  and  thus  working  hand  in  hand  the 
three  got  the  new  tire  in  place  and  pumped  up 
in  less  than  ten  minutes. 

While  Dick  and  Sam  were  putting  away  the 
tools,  Tom  walked  a  bit  ahead  on  the  road.  He 
looked  around  a  turn,  and  then  came  back  much 
crestfallen. 

"Well,  I'm  paid  back  for  monkeying  with 
those  road-signs  years  ago,"  he  announced.  "The 
fellows  who  fixed  that  sign  some  distance  be 
hind  us  have  got  one  on  me.  This  is  nothing 
but  a  woods  road,  and  ends  in  the  timber  right 
around  the  bend." 

"Which  means  that  we  have  got  to  turn  back 
and  take  the  other  road,"  put  in  Sam,  quickly. 

"That's  it!  Some  fun  turning  around  here," 
was  Dick's  comment.  "It's  about  as  narrow  as  it 
was  on  that  road  where  they  were  doing  the 
blasting." 

"Oh,  I  guess  I  can  make  it,"  answered  Tom; 
and  then  all  got  in  the  car  once  again. 


238  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

By  going  ahead  and  backing  half  a  dozen 
times,  Tom  at  last  managed  to  get  the  touring 
car  headed  the  other  way.  Then  he  put  on 
speed  once  more  and  they  raced  off  to  where 
they  had  made  the  false  turn. 

But  all  this  had  taken  time  and  as  a  conse 
quence,  although  they  ran  along  the  other  high 
way  at  a  speed  of  nearly  forty  miles  an  hour, 
they  saw  nothing  of  the  auto-stage  which  had 
gone  on  ahead. 

"I  guess  this  is  Stockbridge,"  was  Dick's 
comment,  a  little  later,  as  they  came  in  sight  of  a 
straggling  village.  Several  buggies  and  farm 
wagons  were  in  sight  and  likewise  a  couple  of 
cheap  automobiles,  but  nothing  that  looked  like 
a  stage. 

"Has  the  auto-stage  from  Fernwood  got  in 
yet?"  questioned  Sam  of  a  storekeeper  who  sat 
in  a  tilted  chair  under  the  wooden  awning  of  his 
establishment. 

"Yes,  it  got  in  some  time  ago,"  was  the 
drawled-out  reply  of  the  storekeeper. 

"Then  has  it  gone  on  to  Riverview?"  queried 
Dick. 
1     "Reckon  it  has,  stranger." 

"Do  you  know  if  any  passengers  got  off  here?" 
asked  Tom. 

"Old  Mrs.  Harrison  got  off." 


ON  THE  TRAIL  239 

"Anybody  else?" 

"I  didn't  see  anybody  else, — but  then  I  wasn't 
watchin'  very  closely,"  explained  the  storekeeper. 

The  only  other  persons  in  sight  besides  the 
storekeeper  were  two  children,  too  small  to  be1 
questioned    about    the    stage    passengers.      The 
Rovers  looked  at  each  other  questioningly. 

"Might  as  well  go  right  through  and  follow 
that  stage,"  said  Dick.  "If  he  is  on  board,  there 
is  no  use  of  letting  him  get  away.  If  he  isn't, 
we  can  come  back  here  and  look  for  him." 

The  others  deemed  this  good  advice,  and  in 
a  moment  more  they  left  Stockbridge  at  a  rate 
of  speed  which  made  the  storekeeper  leap  up 
from  his  comfortable  chair  to  gaze  after  them 
in  amazement. 

"Some  of  them  speeders,"  he  murmured  to 
himself.  "If  they  don't  look  out  they'll  be  took 
in  for  breakin'  the  law." 

For  a  mile  or  more  the  road  outside  of  Stock- 
bridge  was  fairly  good.  Beyond,  it  grew  poorer 
and  poorer,  and  Tom  had  to  reduce  speed  once 
more  for  fear  of  another  puncture,  or  a  blow 
out.  As  they  sped  along  the  highway  all  the 
youths  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  Blackie  Crow- 
den,  but  no  one  came  in  sight  who  answered  in 
the  least  to  the  description  of  that  individual. 

"I'm  sure  I'd  know  him  if  I  saw  him,"  said 


240  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Sam,  who  had  studied  a  copy  of  the  man's  pho 
tograph. 

"So  would  I,"  answered  Tom.  "He's  got  a 
face  that  is  somewhat  unusual ;"  and  to  this  Dick 
agreed. 

On  and  on  they  went,  the  road  now  being 
little  more  than  a  country  lane.  Here  the  dust 
was  about  six  inches  deep,  and  a  big  cloud  floated 
behind  the  machine. 

"Almost  looks  as  if  we  were  on  the  wrong 
road  again,"  observed  Dick.  But  hardly  had  he 
spoken  when  they  came  out  to  another  cross 
road.  Here  a  signboard  pointed  to  the  left,  and 
the  highway  was  as  good  as  any  they  had  yet 
traveled. 

"Only  one  mile  more!"  cried  Sam. 

"It  won't  take  long  to  cover  that,"  answered 
Tom,  and  then  turned  on  the  power,  and  in  less 
than  two  minutes  more  they  were  approaching 
the  center  of  Riverview,  a  fair-sized  town  lo 
cated  on  the  stream  which  gave  it  its  name. 

"There  is  the  auto-stage,  drawn  up  in  front 
of  the  hotel,"  announced  Sam. 

"Yes.     And  it's  empty,"  answered  Dick. 

The  driver  of  the  auto-stage  was  at  the  town 
pump  getting  a  drink  of  water.  He  looked  at 
the  three  Rovers  curiously  as  they  confronted 
him. 


ON  THE  TRAIL  241 

"Did  I  have  a  passenger  that  stuttered?"  he 
repeated  in  answer  to  their  question.  "I  sure 
did  have  such  a  fellow.  Why,  he  stuttered  wo'se 
than  any  man  I  ever  heard.  And  he  whistled 
too.  Awful  funny.  Why,  I  had  all  I  could  do 
to  keep  from  laughin'  in  his  face." 

"We  want  to  find  that  man  very  much  and 
right  away,"  announced  Dick.  "Will  you  let  us 
know  where  you  let  him  off?" 

"That's  a  funny  thing,  mister,"  announced  the 
auto-stage  driver.  "You  see,  after  we  left  Stock- 
bridge  I  didn't  have  nobody  in  but  that  man.  He 
paid  me  the  fare  to  this  place  before  I  started. 
Then  when  we  was  about  half-way  here  I  looked 
around  in  the  back  of  the  stage  and,  by  gum! 
he  was  gone." 

"Gone !"  came  from  the  three  Rovers. 

"Yes,  sir,  he  was  gone.  I  looked  back  and 
there  he  stood  on  the  side  of  the  road.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  that  I  saw  him,  he  waved  his  hand 
to  me  and  disappeared." 


CHAPTER   XXIII 


THE  three  Rovers  listened  in  astonishment  to 
what  the  auto-stage  driver  had  to  say  concern 
ing  the  sudden  disappearance  of  Blackie  Crow- 
den. 

"Then  he  must  have  jumped  from  the  stage 
while  you  were  running,"  remarked  Dick. 

"That's  just  what  he  did  do,  mister.  And 
he  took  some  chances,  too,  believe  me,  for  I 
wasn't  runnin'  at  less  than  twenty  miles  an  hour." 

"Did  he  have  any  baggage  with  him?"  ques 
tioned  Tom. 

"He  had  a  small  handbag,  that's  all." 

"Would  you  remember  the  place  where  he 
jumped  off?"  came  from  Sam,  eagerly. 

"Yes,  it  was  on  the  road  back  of  here — just 
before  you  turn  into  this  highway." 

"You  mean  the  road  that  was  so  thick  with 
dust?"  remarked  Tom. 

"That's  the  place.  He  jumped  off  at  a  spot 
where  the  bushes  are  pretty  thick,  and  there 
242 


BACK  AT  ASHTON 


243 


are  three  trees  standin'  close  together  just  back 
of  the  bushes." 

"I  think  I  know  that  place,"  said  Dick.  "There 
is  a  small  white  cottage  on  the  hillside  just  be 
hind  it." 

"You've  struck  it,"  answered  the  stage  driver. 
"I  reckon  as  how  he  was  goin'  to  call  on  some 
body  at  the  cottage.  But  why  he  didn't  ask  me 
to  stop  is  a  mystery.  Why !  he  might  have  broken 
a  leg  gettin'  off  that  way." 

"That  man  is  a  criminal,  and  he  did  it  to  throw 
you  off  his  track,"  announced  Sam.  "Do  you 
know  what  I  think?"  he  continued  to  his 
brothers.  "I  think  Blackie  Crowden  must  have 
gotten  on  to  the  fact  that  we  were  at  Fernwood, 
and  made  up  his  mind  to  clear  out  as  soon  as 
possible.  Then  he  got  afraid  that  we  might  ques 
tion  folks,  including  this  stage  driver,  and  so 
jumped  from  the  auto-stage  to  throw  us  off  his 
trail,  provided  we  should  follow  the  stage." 

"I  guess  you  have  struck  the  nail  on  the  head, 
Sam,"  answered  his  oldest  brother.  "But  come 
on,  let  us  see  if  we  can  find  some  trace  of  him." 
And  in  less  than  a  minute  more  they  had  turned 
their  machine  around  and  were  heading  for  the 
spot  mentioned  to  them  by  the  stage  driver. 

It  was  only  a  short  run,  and  soon  they  halted 
beside  the  bushes  hedging  in  three  tall  trees. 


244  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Eagerly  they  looked  around  in  all  directions,  but 
not  a  soul  was  in  sight. 

"I'm  going  up  to  the  farmhouse,"  announced 
Sam. 

"And  I'll  go  with  you,"  added  Dick.  "Tom, 
you  stay  down  here  and  take  a  look  around. 
If  you  see  anything  of  him  blow  the  auto  horn 
three  times." 

At  the  farmhouse  the  two  Rovers  found  them 
selves  confronted  by  an  elderly  man  and  his  wife, 
who  looked  at  them  rather  curiously. 

"No,  there  hasn't  been  anybody  around  here 
so  far  as  I  know,"  announced  the  farmer.  "We 
haven't  had  a  visitor  for  several  days." 

"I  was  out  to  the  well  about  five  minutes  ago," 
put  in  his  wife,  "and  if  anybody  had  come  up 
to  the  house  or  the  barn  I'd  have  seen  him." 

"The  fellow  we  are  after  is  a  criminal,"  ex 
plained  Dick,  "so  if  you  don't  mind  we'll  take  a 
look  around  for  him." 

"A  criminal!"  cried  the  farmer.  "Say,  that's 
bad!  Certainly  look  around  all  you  please,  and 
I  hope  if  he  is  anywhere  near  you'll  catch  him. 
I'd  go  around  with  you  myself,  only  I  can't 
very  well  on  account  of  this  rheumatism  of 
mine." 

The  two  Rovers  walked  around  the  cottage 
and  the  out-buildings  but  found  not  the  least 


BACK  AT  ASHTON  245 

trace  of  Blackie  Crowden.  Then,  rather  crest 
fallen,  they  returned  to  the  automobile. 

"Perhaps  there's  some  mistake  and  it  wasn't 
Crowden  at  all,"  was  Sam's  comment. 

"Well,  it  was  a  man  who  stuttered,  anyway, 
and  the  general  description  fitted  Crowden,"  an 
swered  his  brother. 

When  they  reached  the  automobile,  they  found 
Tom  gazing  curiously  at  a  piece  of  newspaper 
which  he  had  picked  up  from  the  ground.  It 
was  rather  crumpled,  as  if  it  had  been  used  for 
wrapping  purposes. 

"See  anything  of  him,  Tom?"  asked  Dick. 

"No,"  was  the  answer.  "But  look  here.  Do 
cither  of  you  recognize  this  print?"  He  held 
out  the  paper,  which  was  the  lower  half  of  a 
newspaper  page.  Part  of  this  was  devoted  to 
reading  matter  and  the  rest  to  advertisements. 

"Why,  sure!  I  know  that  paper,"  cried  Dick. 
"See  that  advertisement  of  The  Russel  Depart 
ment  Store  and  that  advertisement  of  Betts'  Shoe 
Store?  That's  a  part  of  the  Knoxbury  Weekly 
Leader." 

"That's  just  what  it  is!"  ejaculated  Sam. 
"Where  did  you  get  that  paper,  Tom?" 

"Found  it  right  here  beside  the  bushes.  It 
looks  as  if  it  had  been  used  to  wrap  something 
in." 


246  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Then  that  proves  two  things,"  announced 
Dick,  flatly.  "One  is  that  the  man  who  stutters 
was  really  Blackie  Crowden,  for  who  else  could 
have  been  here  with  something  wrapped  in  a 
Knoxbury  newspaper?  And  the  other  thing  is 
that  he  did  as  the  stage  driver  said — left  that 
stage  somewhere  near  here." 

"Right  you  are,  Dick,"  returned  his  youngest 
brother,  "but  that  doesn't  answer  the  question — 
where  is  he  now?" 

"I  think  he  got  on  to  the  fact  that  we  were 
in  Fernwood,  and  that  it  was  his  business  to  get 
out  just  as  quickly  as  he  could,"  said  Tom.  "And 
if  that  is  true  it  is  more  than  likely  that  he  is 
a  good  distance  away  from  here  by  now  and 
keeping  to  side  roads  where  he  thinks  he  will 
not  be  followed." 

"But  what  brought  him  to  Fernwood  in  the 
first  place?"  questioned  Sam. 

"Give  it  up.  Of  course,  he  may  have  friends 
or  relatives  here.  But  I  don't  know  how  we  are 
going  to  find  out  the  truth  about  that,  and  what 
good  will  it  do  us  if  we  do?" 

A  half  hour  was  spent  in  that  vicinity,  the  boys 
tramping  up  and  down  the  road  and  through  the 
fields  and  woods  looking  for  some  trace  of  the 
missing  man.  Then  they  returned  to  Fernwood. 

"I'm  going  down  to  the  post-office  to  post  our 


BACK  AT  ASHTON  247 

letters,"  announced  Dick.  "I'll  see  if  the  post 
master  knows  anything  about  Crowden." 

The  postmaster  of  Fern  wood  was  a  young  man 
and  glad  enough  to  give  what  information  he 
could  when  he  heard  what  Dick  had  to  say. 

"Yes,  that  man  was  here  several  times,"  he 
remarked.  "He  seemed  very  anxious  to  get  some 
letters,  and  he  posted  several  letters  himself,  al 
though  whom  they  were  addressed  to  I  don't 
know." 

"You  haven't  any  idea  where  he  was  stop- 
ping?" 

"Not  the  slightest."  And  this  was  all  the  post 
master  could  tell  them. 

"No  use  of  our  staying  here  any  longer,"  an 
nounced  Tom,  when  the  boys  had  rejoined  the 
others  at  the  hotel.  "I  guess  Crowden  just  came 
to  this  out-of-the-way  place  to  get  and  send  mail." 

"Don't  you  think  he'll  come  back,  thinking 
there'll  be  some  letters  for  him?"  questioned  his 
wife. 

"We'll  take  care  of  that,"  was  the  reply. 
"We'll  notify  the  local  authorities  and  also  the 
postmaster,  so  if  Crowden  turns  up  again  he'll 
be  arrested  at  once;"  and  this  matter  was  at 
tended  to  before  they  left  the  town. 

Chester  Waltham  grumbled  somewhat  because 
the  Rovers  had  not  taken  him  along  on  th«  trip 


248  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

to  Riverview,  but  the  three  brothers  paid  little 
attention  to  this,  although  Sam  showed  that  he 
was  rather  anxious  because  of  the  way  in  which 
Grace  stood  up  for  the  brother  of  her  seminary 
chum. 

It  had  been  planned  that  the  tour  from  Valley 
Brook  to  the  west  should  be  taken  through  Ash- 
ton,  so  one  morning  a  few  days  later  found  the 
whole  party  in  the  old  college  town. 

"Too  bad  that  Brill  and  Hope  are  both  closed 
for  the  season,"  remarked  Dora.  "We  might 
have  met  some  of  our  old  friends." 

"Well,  it  doesn't  make  much  difference  to 
me,"  grinned  back  Sam.  "It  seems  like  only  yes 
terday  since  I  graduated." 

"I  am  glad  my  school  days  are  over,"  an 
nounced  Ada  Waltham.  "I  never  did  care  for 
studying." 

Before  proceeding  farther,  the  Rovers  had  de 
cided  to  call  on  the  Sandersons,  so  they  went 
away  from  the  hotel  at  Ashton,  leaving  the  Wal- 
thams  behind.  A  letter  had  been  sent  ahead  to 
Minnie,  so  she  was  not  much  surprised  at  their 
arrival.  Her  appearance,  however,  shocked  them 
greatly.  From  looking  round  and  ruddy  her 
face  had  taken  on  a  pale  and  careworn  look. 

"We  are  having  all  sorts  of  bad  luck  this  year,'* 
she  said,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  of  Dora,  and 


BACK  AT  ASHTON  249 

while  the  boys  had  gone  off  to  find  Mr.  Sander 
son,  who  was  at  the  barn.  "First  came  the  loss 
of  that  money.  Then  father  was  taken  sick, 
and  now  he  tells  me  that  the  crops  this  year 
are  not  going  to  be  nearly  as  good  as  usual." 

"That  is  certainly  too  bad,  Minnie,"  said  Dora, 
sympathetically.  "I  wish  we  could  do  something 
to  help  you."  She  paused  for  a  moment.  "I 
suppose  you  hear  from  Songbird  occasion 
ally?" 

"Oh,  yes,  he  writes  to  me  regularly.  He  is 
hard  at  work,  and  last  week  he  sent  father  a 
check  for  one  hundred  dollars.  This,  of  course, 
is  a  good  deal  of  money  for  the  poor  fellow  to 
scrape  together,  but  it  isn't  much  towards  four 
thousand  dollars." 

"It  certainly  is  too  bad  about  the  crops  not 
being  good,"  said  Nellie,  who,  being  the  daughter 
of  a  farmer,  knew  exactly  what  such  a  calamity 
means  to  the  average  man  who  depends  on  the 
soil  for  his  living. 

"Father  wouldn't  mind  it  so  much  if  it  was 
not  for  this  interest  on  the  mortgage.  You  see 
he  had  expected  to  pay  the  whole  amount  off 
and  that,  of  course,  would  stop  the  interest.  Now 
he  has  to  pay  the  usual  amount,  two  hundred 
and  forty  dollars  a  year,  which,  you  see,  is  twenty 
dollars  a  month.  It  worries  him  a  good  deal." 


250  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Did  you  say  Songbird  sent  him  a  hundred 
dollars?"  questioned  Grace,  curiously. 

"Yes.  It  was  money  he  had  earned  and  some 
that  his  folks  had  given  him.  I  am  glad  to  say 
father  didn't  think  much  of  accepting  it  at  first," 
added  Minnie,  her  face  brightening  a  little.  "But 
poor  John  urged  it,  so  that  at  last  he  took  it  and 
sent  it  over  to  the  bank." 

"Then  I  suppose  Songbird  and  your  father  are 
on  fairly  good  terms  now,"  remarked  Dora. 

"No,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  is  not  true,  Dora. 
At  first  father  seemed  to  get  over  it,  but  lately 
he  has  been  as  bitter  as  ever.  You  see,  his  sick 
ness,  and  the  bad  crops,  and  the  interest  money 
to  be  paid  on  the  mortgage,  worry  him  a  great 
deal,  and  he  takes  it  all  out  on  poor  John.  He 
sticks  to  it  that  John  should  have  been  more  care 
ful  while  he  was  carrying  such  a  large  amount." 
Minnie  turned  her  face  away  and  two  tears  stole 
down  her  cheeks.  "It's  a  shame — an  awful, 
burning  shame!  But  what  in  the  world  am  I 
to  do?" 

"It  surely  is  too  bad,  Minnie,"  said  Dora,  kind 
ly,  placing  her  arm  around  the  girl's  waist,  while 
Nellie  and  Grace  looked  on  sympathetically.  "If 
we  could  help  you  at  all  we  would  do  it.  We 
have  some  news  of  Blackie  Crowden,  and  the 
others  have  gone  out  to  tell  your  father  about 


BACK  AT  ASHTON  251 

it,"  and  then  she  related  what  had  occurred  dur 
ing  the  stop  at  Fernwood. 

"Oh!  if  only  they  could  find  that  fellow  and 
get  back  the  money !"  sobbed  Minnie.  "But  may 
be  the  most  of  it  has  been  spent,"  she  added, 
dolefully. 

"Oh,  let  us  hope  not!"  cried  Nellie.  "He 
couldn't  spend  any  such  amount  as  that  in  so 
short  a  time." 

"He  might  if  he  drank  and  gambled  it  away," 
put  in  her  sister.  "Oh,  wouldn't  it  be  too  bad 
if  they  did  catch  this  Blackie  Crowden  and  then 
found  that  he  had  squandered  all  that  money!" 


AT     THE     FESTIVAL 

WHILE  Dora  and  her  cousins  were  talking  to 
Minnie  the  others  had  sought  out  Mr.  Sander 
son,  who  was  down  in  the  barn  superintending 
the  stowing  away  of  some  grain.  The  farmer 
listened  with  interest  to  what  they  had  to  tell 
him  about  Blackie  Crowden,  but  shook  his  head 
dolefully. 

"I'm  pretty  well  satisfied  that  they'll  never 
get  that  money  back  for  me  now,"  he  announced. 
"A  fellow  of  that  character  would  use  up  cash 
about  as  fast  as  he  could  lay  hands  on  it." 

"Well,  let  us  live  in  hopes,"  returned  Dick, 
not  knowing  what  else  to  say. 

The  farmer  asked  them  about  their  tour,  and 
said  he  trusted  that  they  would  have  a  good 
time.  Then  Sam  ventured  to  mention  Songbird. 

"Better  not  talk  to  me  about  that  young  man," 
declared  Mr.  Sanderson,  drawing  down  the  cor 
ners  of  his  mouth.  "He  may  mean  well  enough, 
but  he's  not  my  kind,  and  I've  told  Minnie  she 
252 


AT  THE  FESTIVAL  253 

had  better  stop  having  him  call  and  also  stop 
writing  to  him." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Sanderson!  I  think  you  are  doing 
our  chum  an  injustice,"  cried  Sam.  "It  wasn't 
his  fault  that  he  was  robbed  of  that  four  thou 
sand  dollars." 

"Humph!  That's  as  how  you  look  at  it," 
grumbled  the  farmer.  "I've  said  what  I  think, 
and  I'll  stick  to  it."  And  nothing  that  the  Rovers 
could  say  would  alter  his  decision  in  this  matter. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  sorry  for  Minnie  I  really  don't 
know  how  to  express  myself,"  were  Dora's 
words,  when  the  party  were  once  more  on  the 
way  to  the  Ashton  hotel.  "If  her  father  com 
pels  her  to  give  up  Songbird  it  will  just  about 
break  her  heart." 

"I  don't  believe  she's  the  one  to  give  up  Song 
bird,"  answered  Sam.  "She  isn't  that  kind  of 
girl,"  and  he  looked  at  Grace.  But  her  eyes  at 
that  moment  were  turned  in  another  direction. 
He  followed  the  look  and  saw  that  she  was  gaz 
ing  at  Chester  Waltham,  who,  with  his  sister, 
had  driven  their  car  to  meet  the  others. 

"There  is  one  thing  about  this  whole  matter 
that  worries  me,"  said  Dick,  "and  that  is  that 
when  they  catch  this  Blackie  Crowden — and  I 
think  they'll  land  on  the  fellow  sooner  or  later — 
most  of  the  money  may  be  gone.  There  will  be 


254  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

some  satisfaction  in  placing  such  a  rascal  behind 
the  bars,  but  that  won't  give  Mr.  Sanderson  his 
cash  back  nor  lift  that  mortgage." 

"We've  just  got  news  and  we  thought  we 
would  let  you  know  about  it,"  cried  Ada  Wal- 
'tham,  as  the  runabout  came  to  a  standstill  close 
to  the  other  automobiles.  "There  is  to  be  a  grand 
festival  at  Larkinburg  this  evening,  and  if  it 
is  not  necessary  to  stay  in  Ashton  to-night  we 
might  as  well  go  to  that  place  and  attend  the 
festival.  I  received  a  letter  at  the  Ashton  post- 
office  from  two  girls  who  used  to  go  to  Hope, 
and  they  are  to  be  at  the  affair,  and  they  write 
that  it  will  be  well  worth  attending." 

"Oh,  yes,  let  us  go  to  Larkinburg  by  all 
means!"  cried  Grace.  "I  know  the  two  girls — 
Jennie  Cross  and  Mabel  Stanford.  The  festival 
will  certainly  be  well  worth  while  if  they  say  so." 

"Let  me  see — how  many  miles  is  it  to  Larkin 
burg?"  questioned  Tom. 

"Only  sixty,  so  we  can  make  the  run  with 
ease  if  we  start  directly  after  lunch,"  answered 
Chester  Waltham. 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  a  few  min- 
'utes,  and  as  a  result  it  was  decided  to  go  ahead 
and  make  the  town  mentioned  in  ample  time  to 
attend  the  festival. 

"They  are  going  to  have  a  concert  and  some 


AT  THE  FESTIVAL  255 

outdoor  tableaux,  with  refreshments,"  said 
Grace.  "Ada  was  telling  me  all  about  it." 

"Well,  that  will  be  much  better  than  staying 
in  Ashton  doing  nothing,"  returned  Dora.  "And, 
besides,  we  must  be  getting  along  on  our  trip. 
Dick  says  we  are  really  a  day  behind  in  our 
schedule." 

During  the  stop  at  the  Ashton  hotel  for  lunch, 
Chester  Waltham  had  been  very  attentive  to 
Grace  and  had  asked  her  if  she  did  not  wish  to 
change  places  with  his  sister  on  the  run  to  Lar- 
kinburg;  but  she  had  declined,  offering  some 
excuse  which  was  far  from  satisfactory  to  the 
young  millionaire. 

"I  thought  you  were  going  to  put  in  part  of 
this  tour  with  me,"  he  had  said,  rather  reproach 
fully.  "Besides,  if  you  will  come  in  with  me  it 
will  give  Ada  a  chance  to  visit  with  the  others." 

"Well,  I'll  ride  with  you  some  time,"  Grace 
had  answered.  "I  want  Ada  to  have  as  good  a 
time  as  any  of  us." 

The  long  hours  spent  on  the  road  had  proved 
rather  tiring  to  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Laning, 
and  when  Larkinburg  was  reached  they  were  glad 
enough  to  rest  in  a  comfortable  room  which 
Dick  engaged  for  them. 

"You  young  folks  can  go  to  the  festival,"  said 
Mrs.  Stanhope,  with  a  smile.  "We  are  going 


256  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

to  stay  here  and  go  to  bed  early;"  and  so  it  was 
arranged^ 

The  festival  was  held  in  a  large  grove  border 
ing  a  beautiful  stream  and  located  some  distance 
from  the  center  of  the  town.  As  soon  as  our 
friends  had  arrived  they  had  called  up  the  two 
former  students  of  Hope,  and  it  had  been  de 
cided  that  these  girls,  along  with  their  escorts, 
should  join  the  others  and  all  should  attend  the 
festival  together. 

"We  can  easily  pack  the  whole  crowd  in  our 
three  cars,"  announced  Dick. 

"I  can't  carry  any  extra  people  in  my  run 
about,"  complained  Chester  Waltham.  "Of 
course,  one  of  the  fellows  might  stand  on  the 
running  board,  but " 

"We'll  take  them,  don't  worry,"  answered 
Sam.  "We've  got  some  vacant  seats,  you  know, 
and  four  extra  won't  count." 

The  girls  from  Hope  were  a  jolly  pair  and  so 
were  the  two  young  men  who  accompanied  them. 
All  got  in  the  Rovers'  machines,  and  away  they 
went,  followed  closely  by  the  Waltham  runabout. 
A  parking  space  had  been  set  aside,  and  there 
our  friends  found  themselves  surrounded  by  ma 
chines  of  all  sorts,  and  a  jolly,  laughing  crowd 
numbering  several  thousands  of  people. 

"Oh,  how  pretty!"  burst  from  Grace's  lips,  as 


AT  THE  FESTIVAL  257 

they  strolled  toward  the  place  where  the  concert 
and  the  tableaux  were  to  be  given. 

A  stage  had  been  constructed  among  some 
trees  and  bushes  with  a  background  of  the  river, 
and  here  scores  of  lamps  and  lanterns  twinkled 
forth.  The  seats  were  placed  along  a  sloping 
bank,  and  soon  the  whole  crowd  was  gathered 
to  listen  to  the  opening  number  of  the  con 
cert. 

As  soon  as  the  machines  were  parked  Ches 
ter  Waltham,  almost  ignoring  his  sister,  had 
devoted  his  attention  to  Grace,  doing  this  while 
Sam  was  busy  talking  over  some  matters  with 
his  brothers.  Waltham  had  walked  over  to  the 
seats  with  Grace  beside  him,  and  now  he  saw 
to  it  that  she  was  placed  where  he  could  talk  to 
her  with  ease.  This,  of  course,  did  not  particu 
larly  suit  Sam,  but  he  was  helpless  in  the  matter 
and  so  made  the  best  of  it. 

The  concert  was  a  fine  one  and  the  tableaux, 
which  were  interspersed  between  the  various 
musical  numbers,  were  intensely  interesting. 

"Certainly  well  worth  attending,"  was  Tom's 
comment,  when  that  portion  of  the  festival  came 
to  an  end  amid  a  loud  clapping  of  hands. 

"And  now  for  some  refreshments,"  announced 
Dick.  "Come  on,  let  us  hurry  or  the  tables  may 
all  be  filled,"  for  some  long  tables  decorated  with 


258  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

lanterns  had  been  set  under  the  trees  at  one  side 
of  the  grove. 

"My!  but  it  is  rather  chilly  here,"  was  Grace's 
comment,  when  they  were  moving  toward  the 
tables.  "I  feel  positively  cold." 

"Didn't  you  bring  your  jacket?"  questioned 
Sam. 

"Yes,  but  I  left  it  in  the  auto." 

"I'll  go  and  get  it,"  he  returned,  and  ran  off 
to  procure  the  garment.  He  found  that  more 
machines  had  come  in,  and  it  was  some  little 
while  before  he  could  locate  their  automobile 
and  pick  out  the  jacket. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Chester  Waltham,  leaving 
his  sister  with  the  other  girls  from  Hope,  had 
gone  on  with  Grace  and  seated  her  at  one  of  the 
tables,  with  the  others  of  the  party  opposite. 
There  was  but  one  vacant  seat  left  next  to  Grace, 
and  this  the  young  millionaire  appropriated. 

"I  don't  know  what  Sam  will  do  when  he  gets 
here,"  remarked  Grace,  anxiously. 

"Oh,  I  guess  he'll  find  a  seat  somewhere,"  an 
swered  Chester  Waltham,  coolly. 

The  youngest  Rover  was  rather  surprised  on 
getting  back  to  find  every  seat  filled  and  the 
young  millionaire  sitting  beside  the  girl  who  was 
so  dear  to  his  heart,  but  he  made  no  comment. 
He  helped  Grace  don  the  jacket,  and  then  stood 


AT  THE  FESTIVAL  259 

back  until  there  was  a  vacant  seat  at  a  table  some 
distance  away. 

"I  think  it  was  rather  mean  of  Chester  Wal- 
tham  to  appropriate  that  seat,"  whispered  Nellie 
to  Dora  while  they  were  being  served. 

"I  think  so  myself,  Nellie,"  was  the  low  re 
ply. 

At  last  the  festival  came  to  an  end,  and  all 
those  in  the  crowd  prepared  to  go  home. 

"I  hope  you  enjoyed  your  refreshments,"  said 
Sam,  rather  coolly,  as  he  came  up  to  Grace's 
side. 

"Why,  yes,  I  enjoyed  them  very  much/'  an 
swered  the  girl.  She  looked  at  him  rather  point 
edly.  "Didn't  you  think  the  sandwiches  and 
cake  and  other  things  were  very  nice?" 

"Nice  enough,"  he  grumbled.  "Come  on,  let 
us  get  back  to  the  hotel,  I'm  as  tired  as  a  dog," 
and  he  started  to  walk  away,  leaving  the  others 
to  follow  him. 

His  words  and  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
spoken  rather  nettled  Grace,  and  she  walked 
toward  the  automobiles  in  silence,  with  the  others 
in  front  and  behind  her.  But  Chester  Waltham 
remained  at  her  side,  and  as  they  approached 
the  machines  he  caught  her  by  the  arm. 

"Say,  Grace,  come  on  and  take  a  ride  with 
me,"  he  half  whispered.  "It's  a  beautiful  night. 


260  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Come  on,  you  don't  want  to  go  back  to  the  hotel 
yet." 

"But  what  about  Ada?"  she  questioned. 

"Oh,  she  can  take  your  place  in  one  of  the 
other  autos,  can't  she?" 

"I — I — suppose  so,"  faltered  Grace.  She 
hardly  knew  how  to  go  on.  She  did  not  wish 
particularly  to  take  a  ride  with  Waltham,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  she  was  hurt  over  the  way 
Sam  had  spoken  to  her. 

"See  here,  Sis,"  cried  the  young  millionaire, 
"I  am  going  to  take  Miss  Laning  back  in  my 
runabout.  She  says  you  can  take  her  place  with 
the  Rovers." 

"Oh,  all  right,  Chester,"  answered  the  sister, 
"Hope  you  have  a  nice  time  of  it,"  she  added 
to  Grace. 

There  was  a  large  crowd  down  among  the 
automobiles,  and  our  friends  had  all  they  could 
do  in  the  semi-darkness  to  get  their  machines  out 
on  the  road  in  safety. 

"Where  is  Grace?"  demanded  Sam,  as  some 
of  the  others  came  up  to  him.  He  had  just 
turned  on  the  lights  of  both  cars. 

"She  is  going  to  ride  back  with  Chester," 
answered  Ada  Waltham.  "You'll  have  to  let  me 
ride  back  with  you,"  and  she  laughed  lightly. 

"Oh,   all  right.     Come  ahead,"   returned  the 


AT  THE  FESTIVAL  261 

youngest  Rover.  He  spoke  as  lightly  as  he  could. 
He  did  not  wish  to  let  the  others  know  his  true 
feelings.  There  was  a  strange  bitterness  in  his 
heart,  and  for  the  moment  he  wished  that  ht 
had  never  come  on  this  tour. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

A     CALL     FOR     ASSISTANCE 

Ar>A  WALTHAM  did  all  she  could  to  make 
herself  agreeable  to  Sam  and  the  others,  but 
the  youngest  Rover  was  in  no  mood  for  rail 
lery,  and  on  the  way  back  to  Larkinburg  had 
but  little  to  say. 

Chester  Waltham  had  lost  no  time  in  assisting 
Grace  into  his  runabout  and  in  getting  his  car 
out  of  the  congestion  in  the  parking  space.  Then 
he  put  on  speed,  and  soon  the  pair  were  whirled 
away  out  of  the  sight  of  the  others. 

"It's  a  dandy  night  for  a  ride,"  was  Tom's 
remark.  There  was  some  moonshine,  and  the 
stars  glittered  clear  in  the  heavens  overhead. 

"That  is  true,  Tom,"  answered  his  wife,  "but 
don't  you  think  we  had  better  get  back  to  the  ho 
tel  and  go  to  bed?  I  heard  Dick  say  something 
about  a  long  day  of  it  to-morrow." 

"Oh,  yes,  Nellie,  we'll  get  back.  It  wouldn't 
be'  fair  to  go  off  and  leave  mother  and  Mrs.  Stan 
hope  alone." 

262 


A  CALL  FOR  ASSISTANCE  263 

When  they  reached  the  hotel  at  Larkinburg 
the  Rovers  expected  to  find  the  Waltham  run 
about  in  the  garage,  and  they  were  consequently 
somewhat  surprised  when  they  saw  no  sign  of 
the  machine. 

"We  certainly  couldn't  have  passed  them  on 
the  road,"  observed  Dick.  He  turned  to  his 
youngest  brother.  "You  didn't  see  them,  did 
you?" 

"No.  They  went  on  ahead,"  answered  Sam, 
shortly;  and  his  manner  of  speech  showed  that 
he  was  thoroughly  out  of  sorts. 

Having  placed  the  touring  cars  in  the  care  of 
the"  garage  keeper,  the  Rovers  joined  the  others 
on  the  piazza  of  the  hotel.  Then  Dora  slipped 
upstairs  to  see  if  her  mother  and  Mrs.  Laning 
were  all  right.  She  found  both  of  them  sleep 
ing  soundly,  and  did  not  disturb  them. 

Sam  could  not  content  himself  with  sitting 
down,  and  so  lounged  around  in  one  place  and 
another,  and  finally  said  he  would  go  inside  and 
write  a  letter  to  the  folks  at  home.  He  was  still 
writing  when  Tom  came  in  to  join  him. 

"Sam,  did  Chester  Waltham  say  anything 
about  where  he  was  going  to  take  Grace  ?"  asked 
Tom,  as  he  sat  down  beside  his  brother. 

"No,  he  didn't  say  a  word  to  me,"  was  the 
short  reply,  and  Sam  went  on  writing. 


264     THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Did   Grace   say  anything?" 

"No." 

Tom  said  nothing  for  a  moment,  drumming 
his  fingers  on  the  writing  table.  At  last  he  heaved 
something  of  a  sigh. 

"Seems  to  me  if  they  were  going  on  a  long 
ride  they  might  have  said  something  to  us  about 
it,"  he  observed.  "Nellie  is  rather  worried." 

"Oh,  I  guess  they've  got  a  right  to  take  a 
ride  if  they  want  to,"  came  rather  crossly  from 
Sam.  He  finished  his  letter  with  a  flourish, 
folded  it,  and  rammed  it  into  an  envelope  which 
he  quickly  addressed. 

"Oh,  of  course,  but "  Tom  did  not  finish, 

and  as  Sam,  after  stamping  his  letter,  arose,  he 
did  the  same.  "I  wonder  if  we  had  better  stay 
up  for  them." 

"I  think  I'll  go  to  bed." 

"Sam!"  and  Tom  looked  sharply  at  his 
younger  brother. 

"Well,  what's  the  use  of  staying  up?" 

"A  whole  lot  of  use,  Sam  Rover,  and  you 
know  it.  If  I  were  you  I  wouldn't  let  Chester 
Waltham  ride  over  me." 

"Who  says  I  am  letting  him  ride  over  me?" 
retorted  Sam;  and  now  his  manner  showed  that 
he  was  quite  angry. 

"I  say  so,"  answered  Tom,  bluntly.     "If  you 


A  CALL  FOR  ASSISTANCE  26$ 

"have  got  half  the  sand  in  you  that  I  always 
thought  you  had,  you  wouldn't  stand  for  it.  All 
of  us  know  how  matters  were  going  on  between 
you  and  Grace.  Now  to  let  this  fellow  step  in, 
even  if  he  is  a  young  millionaire,  is  downright 
foolish.  If  you  really  care  for  Grace  it's  up  to 
you  to  go  in  and  take  her." 

"Yes,  but  suppose  that  she  cares  for  Waltham 
and  his  money  more  than  she  cares  for  me?" 
asked  Sam,  hesitatingly. 

"Do  you  think  Grace  is  the  kind  of  a  girl  to 
be  caught  by  money,  Sam  ?"  and  now,  as  the  two 
were  in  a  deserted  part  of  the  hallway,  Tom 
took  his  brother  by  both  arms  and  held  him 
firmly. 

"N — no,  I — I  can't  say  that  exactly,"  faltered 
Sam.  "But  just  the  same,  why  does  she  favor 
him  at  all?" 

"Maybe  it's  because  you  haven't  been  as  out 
spoken  as  you  ought  to  be.  It's  one  thing  for 
a  girl  to  know  what  you  think  of  her,  but  just 
the  same  the  average  girl  wants  you  to  tell  her 
so  in  plain  words.  Now,  it  may  not  be  any  of 
my  business,  but  you  know  that  I  wrant  you  to 
be  happy,  and  that  I  am  unusually  interested  be 
cause  of  Nellie.  It  seems  to  me  if  I  were  you 
I'd  go  to  Grace  the  first  chance  I  had  and  have 
a  clear  understanding." 


266  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  'A  TOUR 

"I — I  can't  go  to  her  now.  She's  out  with 
Waltham,"  stammered  Sam. 

"Then  hang  around  until  they  get  back  and 
see  to  it  that  you  have  a  chance  to  talk  with 
her  before  she  goes  to  her  room,"  returned  Tom ; 
and  then,  as  some  other  people  came  up,  the 
conversation  had  to  come  to  an  end. 

A  half  hour  passed  and  Ada  Waltham  excused 
herself.  "Chester  and  Grace  must  be  having 
a  fine  ride,"  she  observed  on  retiring,  "otherwise 
they  would  have  returned  by  this  time." 

"Maybe  they  had  a  breakdown,"  observed 
Dick.  "I've  been  told  that  some  of  the  roads 
around  here  are  far  from  good." 

"Oh,  don't  say  that !"  cried  the  girl.  "Chester 
hates  to  have  to  make  any  repairs  when  he  is 
alone.  Time  and  again  he  has  run  to  a  garage 
on  a  flat  tire  rather  than  put  another  one  on 
himself." 

Another  half  hour  dragged  by,  and  now  Dora 
turned  to  whisper  to  Dick. 

"Don't  you  think  we  had  better  retire?"  she 
asked.  "I  never  supposed  Grace  was  going  to 
slay  out  as  late  as  this." 

"No,  we'll  stay  up,"  he  answered.  "Nellie 
has  told  Tom  that  she  isn't  going  to  bed  until 
her  sister  gets  back,  so  it  won't  do  for  us  to 
leave  them  here  on  the  piazza,  alone." 


A  CALL  FOR  ASSISTANCE  267 

"Mr.  Rover !  Telephone  call  for  Mr.  Rover !" 
came  the  announcement  from  a  bellboy,  as  he 
appeared  upon  the  piazza.. 

"Which  Mr.  Rover?"  demanded  Sam,  eagerly. 

"The  party  said  any  of  'em  would  do,"  an 
swered  the  bellboy. 

"I'll  go,"  said  Sam,  eagerly,  before  either  of 
his  brothers  or  their  wives  could  speak. 

"All  right,  Sam.  I'll  follow  in  case  you  want 
me  or  any  of  the  others,"  answered  Tom. 

The  telephone  booths  were  located  in  the  lobby 
of  the  hotel,  and  Sam  was  quickly  shown  to  one 
of  them.  While  he  talked  Tom  stood  by,  but 
caught  only  a  few  words  of  what  was  said. 

"Hello!" 

"Oh,  is  this  you,  Sam  ?"  came  over  the  wire  in 
Grace's  voice.  "I'm  so  glad !  I  have  been  trying 
to  get  somebody  for  the  last  ten  minutes  but 
they  couldn't  give  me  the  hotel  connection." 

"Where  are  you  ?"  questioned  the  youth.  "Has 
anything  happened?"  for  the  tone  of  the  girl's 
voice  indicated  that  she  was  very  much  agi 
tated. 

"Oh,  Sam!  I  want  you  or  some  of  the  others 
to  come  and  get  me,"  cried  Grace.  "The  run 
about  has  broken  down,  and  I  don't  think  Mr. 
Waltham  can  fix  it.  And  we  are  miles  and  mHes 
away  from  Larkinburg !" 


268  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"A  breakdown,  eh  ?  Why,  sure,  I'll  come  and 
get  you,  Grace.  Where  are  you?" 

"I  am  at  a  farmhouse  on  the  road  between 
Dennville  and  Corbytown — the  Akerson  place. 
If  you  come,  take  the  road  to  Dennville  and  then 
drive  toward  Corbytown.  We'll  hang  a  lantern 
on  the  stepping  block,  so  you  will  know  where 
to  stop." 

"All  right,  Grace,  I'll  be  there  just  as  soon  as 
I  can  make  it,"  answered  Sam ;  and  then  he  add 
ed  quickly:  "You  weren't  hurt  when  the  break 
down  happened,  were  you?" 

"Not  very  much,  although  I  was  a  good  deal 
shaken  up.  Mr.  Waltham  had  his  face  and  his 
hand  scraped  by  the  broken  wind-shield." 

"Well,  you  take  good  care  of  yourself,  and 
I'll  start  right  away,"  returned  the  youngest  Ro 
ver,  and  after  a  few  words  more  hung  up  the 
receiver. 

It  did  not  take  Sam  long  to  acquaint  the  others 
with  what  had  occurred,  and  then  he  ran  down 
to  the  hotel  garage  to  get  out  one  of  the  touring 
cars. 

"Don't  you  think  I  had  better  go  along?" 
asked  Tom.  "Chester  Waltham  may  be  in  a  fix 
and  need  assistance.  And,  besides,  they  may  both 
be  more  hurt  than  Grace  said." 

"Yes,  I  guess  you'd  better  come,"  answered 


A  CALL  FOR  ASSISTANCE  269 

his  brother.  And  soon,  having  received  direc 
tions  from  the  garage  keeper  as  to  how  to  get 
to  Dennville,  the  pair  were  on  the  way. 

"How  did  Grace  seem  to  be  when  you  spoke 
to  her?"  questioned  Tom,  as  Sam  ran  the  car 
as  rapidly  as  the  semi-darkness  of  the  night  per 
mitted. 

"She  seemed  to  be  all  unstrung,"  was  Sam's 
thoughtful  reply. 

"Then  the  accident  may  have  been  worse  than 
she  admitted,  Sam." 

"I  hope  not,  but  we'll  soon  see."  And  then,  as 
a  straight  stretch  of  fairly  good  road  appeared 
before  them,  Sam  turned  on  the  power  and  the 
touring  car  sped  onward  faster  than  ever. 

Inside  of  half  an  hour  they  reached  Denn 
ville,  a  sleepy  little  town,  located  in  the  midst  of 
a  number  of  hills.  All  the  houses  were  dark 
and  the  stores  closed  up,  and  not  a  soul  was 
in  sight.  They  ran  into  the  tiny  public  square 
and  there  found  several  signboards. 

"Here  we  are !"  cried  Sam.  "Corbytown  four 
miles  this  way,"  and  he  pointed  with  his  hand. 

"We'll  look  at  the  other  signboards  first  to 
see  whether  there  is  another  road,"  answered  his 
brother.  But  there  was  only  the  one,  and  so 
Sam  turned  the  touring  car  into  this,  and  they 
sped  forward  once  more,  but  now  at  a  reduced 


270  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

rate  of  speed,  for  the  road  was  decidedly  hilly 
and  far  from  good. 

"What  possessed  Waltham  to  take  such  a  road 
as  this,"  remarked  Tom,  after  they  had  passed 
a  particularly  bad  spot. 

"Don't  ask  me !"  was  the  reply.  "It's  no  won 
der  he  had  a  breakdown  if  he  took  this  road  on 
high  speed." 

They  were  going  up  a  long  hill.  At  the  top 
a  large  and  well-kept  farm  spread  out,  and,  be 
yond,  the  hill  dropped  away  on  a  road  that  was 
worse  than  ever. 

"Hello f  there's  a  light!"  cried  Tom,  as  they 
approached  the  house  belonging  to  the  farm. 

"I  see  it,"  answered  his  brother ;  and  in  a  few 
seconds  more  they  ran  up  to  the  horse-block  and 
brought  the  touring  car  to  a  standstill,  Sam,  at 
the  same  time,  sounding  the  horn. 

But  the  summons  was  unnecessary,  for  their 
approach  had  been  eagerly  looked  for  by  Grace, 
and  hardly  had  the  machine  come  to  a  standstill 
when  she  flew  out  of  the  farmhouse  to  meet 
them. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad  you've  come!"  she  burst  out. 
"If  you  hadn't,  I  don't  know  what  I  should  have 
done!"  She  was  somewhat  hysterical  and  on 
the  verge  of  tears. 

"Are  you  sure  that  you're  not  hurt,  Grace?" 


A  CALL  FOR  ASSISTANCE  271 

asked  Sam,  quickly;  and  as  he  spoke  he  caught 
her  by  one  hand  and  placed  an  arm  on  her  shoul 
der. 

"I — I  don't  think  I  am  hurt,  Sam,"  she  fal 
tered,  and  then  looked  rather  tearfully  into  his 
face.  "But  it  was  an  awful  experience — awful !" 
and  then  as  he  drew  a  little  closer  she  suddenly 
burst  into  a  fit  of  weeping  and  rested  her  head 
on  his  shoulder. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

/ 

SAM    FREES    HIS    MIND 

IN  spite  of  his  fun-loving  disposition,  Tom 
Rover  was  a  very  wise  young  man,  so  as  soon 
as  he  saw  Grace  resting  on  his  brother's  shoul 
der  he  promptly  turned  away,  to  interview  the 
farmer  and  his  wife  who  lived  in  the  farmhouse 
and  who  had  answered  the  girl's  knock  on  their 
door. 

"I  can't  tell  much  about  the  accident,"  said 
Mr.  Akerson.  "Me  and  my  wife  were  just  goin' 
to  bed  when  the  young  lady  knocked  on  the  door 
and  begged  us  to  take  her  in,  and  then  asked  if 
we  had  a  telephone.  She  said  she  had  been  in 
an  automobile  breakdown,  but  she  didn't  give  us 
many  particulars,  except  to  say  that  she  thought 
the  front  axle  of  the  machine  was  broken." 

"Well,  a  broken  axle  is  bad  enough,"  was 
Tom's  prompt  comment.  "They  are  lucky  that 
no  necks  were  broken." 

"The  poor  girl  was  dreadfully  shook  up,"  put 
in  Mrs.  Akerson.  "She  just  went  on  somethin' 
272 


SAM  FREES  HIS  MIND  273 

terrible.     I  had  all  I  could  do  to  quiet  her  at 
first." 

"Didn't  the  young  man  come  here  with  her?" 
questioned  Tom. 

"No.  She  said  she  had  left  him  down  on 
the  road  with  the  machine.  She  said  he  was  all 
worked  up  over  the  accident." 

"I  should  think  he  would  be,"  returned  Tom, 
and  said  no  more  on  the  subject.  Yet  he  thought 
it  very  strange  that  Chester  Waltham  had  not 
accompanied  Grace  to  the  farmhouse  and  thus 
made  certain  that  help  was  summoned. 

Tom  and  his  brother  had  entered  the  sitting- 
room  of  the  farmhouse.  Next  to  it  was  a  lit-up 
dining-room  and  to  this  Sam  and  Grace  had 
wralked,  the  latter  between  her  sobs  telling  of 
what  had  happened. 

"Oh,  Sam,  it  was  dreadful!"  cried  Grace. 
"Mr.  Waltham  was  so  reckless.  I  couldn't  un 
derstand  him  at  all.  When  I  said  I  would  ride 
with  him  I  supposed  we  were  going  right  back 
to  the  hotel.  But  on  the  way  he  said  it  was  too 
fine  a  night  to  go  in  yet,  and  begged  me  to  go 
a  little  farther,  and  so  finally  I  consented.  Then' 
he  drove  the  car  on  and  on,  ever  so  many  miles, 
until  we  reached  Dennville." 

"But  if  you  didn't  want  to  go  that  far,  Grace, 
why  didn't  you  tell  him?" 


274  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"I  did — several  times.  But  he  wouldn't  listen 
to  me.  Of  course,  I  didn't  want  to  act  rude, 
and  when  I  told  him  to  turn  back  he  only  laughed 
at  me.  Then,  when  we  got  to  Dennville,  and  I 
told  him  that  I  positively  would  not  go  any  far 
ther,  he  said,  'Oh,  yes,  you  will.  We  are  going 
to  have  a  good,  long  ride.  I  am  going  to  make 
you  pay  up  in  full  for  not  riding  with  me 
before.' " 

"The  mean  fellow!"  murmured  Sam.  "I'd 
like  to  punch  him  for  that." 

"Oh,  but,  Sam!  that  wasn't  the  worst  of  it," 
went  on  the  girl;  and  now  she  blushed  painfully 
and  hung  her  head.  "Then  he  started  up  on  this 
side  road  and  he  ran  the  car  as  fast  as  ever. 
I  was  dreadfully  scared,  but  he  only  laughed  and 
told  me  to  enjoy  myself,  and  when  the  car 
bumped  over  some  stones,  and  I  was  thrown 
against  him,  he  put  his  arm  around  me  and — 
and  he  did  his  best  to  kiss  me!" 

"What!" 

"But  I  didn't  allow  it.  I  pushed  him  away, 
and  when  he  laughed  at  me  I  told  him  that  if 
he  tried  it  again  I  would  box  his  ears.  Then, 
just  after  we  had  passed  this  place,  he  reached 
over  and  caught  hold  of  me  and  tried  to  pull  me 
toward  him.  Then  I  boxed  him,  just  as  I  had 
said  I  would.  That  made  him  furious,  and  he 


SAM  FREES  HIS  MIND  275 

put  on  a  burst  of  speed,  and  the  next  minute 
there  was  a  terrible  bump  and  a  crash,  and  both 
of  us  were  almost  thrown  out  of  the  car.  The 
wind-shield  was  broken  and  also,  I  think,  the 
front  axle,  and  he  was  scratched  in  several  places. 
Oh,  it  was  awful!"  And  again  Grace  hid  her 
face  on  Sam's  shoulder. 

"Well,  it  served  him  right  if  he  got  hurt  and 
if  his  runabout  was  ruined,"  was  the  youth's 
comment.  He  drew  Grace  closer  to  him  than 
ever.  "Then  you  didn't  really  care  for  him?" 
he  whispered. 

"Oh,  Sam,  Sam !  how  can  you  ask  such  a  ques 
tion?"  she  murmured. 

"Because  I  didn't  know.  I  thought You 

see,  he — he  is  a  millionaire,  and " 

"Why,  Sam  Rover  I  do  you  think  that  money 
would  make  any  difference  to  me  ?"  and  now  she 
raised  her  face  to  look  him  full  in  the  eyes. 

"I  am  mighty  glad  to  know  it  hasn't  made  any 
difference,"  he  returned  quickly;  and  then  caught 
and  held  her  tight  once  more. 

"I  suppose  you  young  men  are  goin'  back  to 
help  the  fellow  with  his  busted  machine,"  re 
marked  Mr.  Akerson  to  Tom. 

"I — I  suppose  so,"  returned  Tom,  slowly,  and 
then  looked  toward  Sam  and  Grace. 

"Oh,  I  don't  want  to  go  back !"  cried  the  girl, 


276  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

quickly.  "I  want  to  return  to  the  hotel  in  Lar- 
kinburg." 

"All  right,  I'll  take  you  back,  Grace,"  an 
swered  Sam.  "If  you  say  so,  we'll  leave  Wal- 
tham  right  where  he  is." 

"I  think  it  would  be  the  right  thing  to  do, 
Sam,  under  ordinary  circumstances,"  was  the  re 
ply.  "But  then  we  mustn't  forget  about  Ada. 
She  will  be  greatly  worried  if  I  come  back 
and  let  her  know  that  we  left  her  brother  out 
here  on  the  open  road  with  a  broken  ma 
chine." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,  Grace.  You  stay 
here  and  Tom  and  I  will  go  down  and  see  what 
Waltham  has  got  to  say  for  himself."  He  turned 
to  the  people  of  the  house.  "She  can  stay  here 
a  little  longer,  can't  she?  We'll  make  it  all 
right  with  you." 

"Certainly  she  can  stay,"  answered  Mr.  Aker- 
son.  "And  there  won't  be  anything  to  pay  out 
side  of  the  telephone  toll,  and  that's  only  twenty 
cents." 

"Please  don't  stay  too  long,"  implored  Grace, 
as  the  two  Rovers  hurried  away. 

"Not  a  minute  longer  than  is  necessary,"  re 
turned  Sam. 

On  the  way  down  the  hill  to  where  the  acci 
dent  had  occurred  Sam  gave  his  brother  the  par- 


SAM  FREES  HIS  MIND  277 

ticulars  of  the  affair,  not  mincing  matters  so 
far  as  it  concerned  Chester  Waltham. 

"I  was  thinking  that  that  was  about  the  way 
it  would  turn  out,"  was  Tom's  dry  comment. 
"With  so  much  money,  Waltham  thinks  he  can 
'do  about  as  he  pleases.  I  reckon  now,  Sam,  you 
are  sorry  you  didn't  talk  to  Grace  before." 

"I  sure  am,  Tom!"  was  the  reply,  and  Sam's 
tones  showed  what  a  weight  had  been  taken  from 
his  heart.  "I'm  going  to  fix  it  up  with  Grace 
before  another  twenty-four  hours  pass." 

"That's  the  way  to  talk,  boy!  Go  to  it!  I 
wish  you  every  success!"  and  Tom  clapped  his 
brother  on  the  shoulder  affectionately. 

Even  though  all  the  lights  were  out,  it  did  not 
take  the  two  Rovers  long  to  locate  the  disabled 
runabout,  which  rested  among  some  stones  on  the 
side  of  the  highway.  As  Grace  had  stated,  the 
wind-shield  was  a  mass  of  smashed  glass,  and 
the  front  axle  had  broken  close  to  the  left 
wheel. 

"They  can  certainly  be  thankful  they  didn't 
break  their  necks,"  was  Tom's  comment,  as  he 
walked  around  the  wreck. 

"Waltham  doesn't  seem  to  be  anywhere  around 
here,"  returned  Sam.  "Wonder  where  he  went 
to?" 

'Both  looked  up  and  down  the  highway,  and 


278          THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

presently  saw  a  figure  approaching  from  down 
the  road.  It  proved  to  be  Chester  Waltham. 
He  was  capless  and  walked  with  a  limp. 

"Hello!  Who  are  you?"  challenged  the  young 
millionaire,  and  then  as  he  drew  closer  he  added  : 
"Oh,  the  Rovers,  eh?  Did  Grace  get  you  on  the 
'phone?" 

"She  did,"  answered  Sam,  and  then  added 
sharply :  "You've  made  a  nice  mess  of  it  here, 
haven't  you?" 

"Say,  I  don't  want  any  such  talk  from  you," 
blustered  the  rich  young  man.  Evidently  he 
was  in  far  from  a  good  humor. 

"I'll  say  what  I  please,  Waltham,  without  ask 
ing  your  permission,"  continued  the  youngest  Ro 
ver.  "You  had  no  right  to  bring  Miss  Laning 
away  out  here  against  her  wishes.  It  was  a  con 
temptible  thing  to  do." 

"You  talk  as  if  you  were  my  master,"  retorted 
Chester  Waltham.  "This  isn't  any  of  your  af 
fair  and  you  keep  out  of  it." 

"We  are  perfectly  willing  to  keep  out  of  it 
if  you  say  so,  Waltham,"  broke  in  Tom.  "We 
came  down  here  merely  to  see  if  we  could  help 
you  in  any  way.  But  I  see  your  front  axle  is 
broken,  and  you  will  have  to  get  the  garage  peo 
ple  to  help  you  out  with  that." 

"Where's  Grace?"  asked  the  young  million- 


SAM  FREES  HIS  MIND  279 

aire.  The  subject  of  the  broken-down  runabout 
did  not  seem  to  interest  him. 

"She  is  up  at  the  farmhouse  on  the  hill,"  an 
swered  Tom. 

"And  we  are  going  to  take  her  back  to  the 
Larkinburg  hotel  in  our  auto,"  added  Sam. 

"Oh,  all  right,  then,  go  ahead  and  do  it." 

"Do  you  want  to  ride  with  us  ?"  questioned 
Tom. 

"I  don't  know  that  I  do.  I'll  stay  here  and 
take  care  of  my  runabout.  If  you'll  tell  my  sister 
that  I'm  all  right,  that  is  all  I  want." 

"Very  well,  just  as  you  say,"  answered  Tom. 
He  took  his  brother  by  the.  arm.  "Come  on, 
Sam,  there  is  no  use  of  wasting  time  here." 

"I'll  be  with  you  in  a  minute,  Tom,"  was  the 
younger  brother's  reply.  "You  go  on  ahead,  I 
want  to  say  just  a  few  words  more  to  Waltham." 

"No  use  of  your  getting  into  a  fight,  Sam," 
returned  Tom  in  a  low  voice. 

"There  won't  be  any  fight  unless  he  starts  it." 

Tom  walked  slowly  up  the  road,  and  Sam 
turned  back  to  where  Chester  Waltham  had  set 
tled  himself  on  the  mud-guard  of  the  broken- 
down  runabout. 

"See  here,  Waltham,  I  want  to  say  a  few 
words  more  to  you,"  began  Sam,  and  his  tone 
^»i  voice  was  such  that  the  young  millionaire 


28o  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

leaped  at  once  to  his  feet.  "I  want  to  warn  you 
about  how  you  treat  Miss  Laning  in  the  future." 

"To  warn  me!"  repeated  Chester  Waltham, 
not  knowing  what  else  to  say. 

"Exactly!  Up  at  the  farmhouse  she  told  me 
all  of  what  took  place  between  you.  She  was 
all  unstrung  and  quite  hysterical.  Now  this  won't 
do  at  all,  and  I  want  you  to  know  it.  After  this 
if  you  are  going  to  travel  with  us  you've  got  to 
act  the  gentleman  and  treat  her  like  a  lady." 

"Humph!" 

"No  'humph'  about  it.  I  mean  just  what  I 
say.  If  you  don't  behave  yourself  and  don't 
treat  her  like  a  lady  I'll— I'll " 

"Well,  what  will  you  do?"  sneered  Chester 
Waltham. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,"  and  now  Sam  shook 
his  finger  in  the  young  millionaire's  face.  "I'll 
give  you  the  soundest  thrashing  you  ever  had 
in  your  life!" 

"Ah!  do  you  mean  to  threaten  me?" 

"I  certainly  do." 

"When  it  comes  to  a  thrashing,  maybe  two 
can  play  at  that  game,"  observed  the  young  mil 
lionaire  ;  but  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  Sam's 
decided  stand  had  disconcerted  him. 

"All  right,  Waltham,  I'll  be  ready  for  you. 
But  remember  what  I  said.  We  came  out  here 


SAM  FREES  HIS  MIND  281 

to  have  a  good  time,  and  I  am  not  going  to  al 
low  you  to  spoil  it  for  Miss  Laning  or  for  any 
body  else." 

"Humph!  you  make  me  tired,"  sneered  the 
rich  young  man.  "Go  on,  I  don't  want  to  be 
bothered  with  you  any  longer.  The  whole  bunch 
of  you  is  too  namby-pamby  for  me.  I  think  my 
sister  and  I  could  have  a  much  better  time  if 
we  weren't  with  you." 

"As  far  as  you  personally  are  concerned,  you 
can't  leave  us  any  too  quickly  to  suit  me,"  re 
turned  Sam. 

"Is  that  so?  Well,  I  guess  you  can  call  it  off 
then  so  far  as  my  sister  and  I  are  concerned. 
But  if  you  think,  Rover,  that  you  have  seen  the 
last  of  this  affair  you  are  mistaken,"  went  on 
the  young  millionaire,  pointedly.  "You  think  you 
are  going  to  run  things  to  suit  yourself,  don't 
you?  Well,  I'll  put  a  spoke  in  your  wheel — a 
spoke  that  you  never  dreamed  of!  You  just 
wait  and  see !"  and  then  Chester  Waltham  turned 
back  and  sat  down  once  more  on  his  wrecked 
runabout,  leaving  Sam  to  walk  up  the  road  to 
rejoin  Tom  in  a  very  thoughtful  mood. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

A    TELEGRAM    FROM    NEW    YORK. 

IT  was  not  until  the  small  hours  of  the  morn 
ing  that  the  two  Rovers  and  Grace  returned  to 
the  hotel  in  Larkinburg.  They  found  Dick  and 
his  wife  and  Nellie  anxiously  awaiting  their  re 
turn. 

"Oh!  I  am  so  glad  that  you  weren't  hurt," 
cried  Nellie,  as  she  embraced  her  sister.  "I  was 
so  worried,"  and  she  hugged  her  again  and  again. 

''You  can  rest  assured,  Nellie,  that  I'll  never  go 
out  with  Chester  Waltham  again !  Never !"  cried 
Grace.  "Come  on,  I  am  going  to  my  room. 
Good-night,  everybody,"  she  called  back,  and  in 
another  moment  had  retired  from  their  view,  fol 
lowed  by  her  sister. 

"Why,  Sam !  what  does  it  mean  ?"  cried  Dora, 
as  she  looked  on  in  bewilderment. 

"It  means  that  Chester  Waltham  ought  to  have 
had  a  good  thrashing,"  declared  the  youngest* 
Rover;  and  then  he  and  Tom  told  of  what  had 
occurred. 

"I  guess  it  will  be  a  good  job  done  if  we  part 
282 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  NEW  YORK          283 

company  with  the  Walthams,"  remarked  Dick, 
after  the  subject  had  been  discussed  for  some 
time.  "He  is  not  of  our  class,  even  if  he  has 
money." 

"I  feel  rather  sorry  for  his  sister,"  added 
Dora.  "Although  once  in  a  while  she  shows  the 
same  haughtiness  of  manner  that  Chester  dis 
plays.  It's  too  bad,  too,  for  they  might  be  really 
nice  company." 

With  so  much  excitement  going  on,  it  was 
small  wonder  that  the  Rover  party  did  not  come 
downstairs  that  morning  until  quite  late.  Sam 
was  the  first  to  show  himself,  he  being  anxious 
to  know  how  Grace  had  fared. 

"Here  is  a  letter  for  your  brother,  Mr.  Ro 
ver,"  said  the  clerk  at  the  desk,  when  Sam  ap 
proached  him.  "It  was  left  here  by  that  Mr. 
Waltham." 

"Hand  it  over,"  returned  the  youth,  and  then 
added :  "Did  Mr.  Waltham  bring  his  wrecked 
runabout  to  the  garage  here?" 

"No,  sir,  he  just  came  here,  got  his  sister,  paid 
his  bill,  and  went  off." 

"Oh,  I  see."  Sam  could  not  help  but  show' 
his  surprise.  "I'll  take  this  letter  to  my  brother," 
he  added,  and  hurried  off. 

The  communication  was  a  short  one,  yet  the 
Rovers  and  the  others  read  it  with  interest.  In 


284  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

it  Chester  Waltham  said  that  in  consideration  of 
the  way  he  had  been  treated  by  some  members 
of  the  party  he  considered  it  advisable  for  his 
sister  and  himself  to  continue  their  tour  sep 
arately.  He  added  that  he  trusted  Miss  Laning 
did  not  feel  any  ill  effects  because  of  the  break 
down  on  the  road. 

"And  just  to  think  that  Ada  went  off  without 
saying  good-bye !"  cried  Grace,  when  she  saw  the 
letter.  "I  didn't  think  she  would  be  quite  so 
mean  as  that." 

"Probably  she  took  her  brother's  part.  She 
usually  did,"  returned  her  sister.  "Well,  I  think 
we  are  well  rid  of  them." 

"So  do  I,"  put  in  Tom.  "Personally  I  don't 
care  if  we  never  see  them  again." 

"He  said  he  was  going  to  put  a  spoke  in  our 
wheel,"  mused  Sam.  "I  wonder  if  he'll  dare 
to  do  anything  to  harm  us?" 

"Oh,  it's  likely  he  was  talking  through  his 
hat,"  returned  Dick ;  but  for  once  the  oldest  Ro 
ver  was  mistaken. 

Now  that  our  friends  were  by  themselves  there 
seemed  to  be  a  general  air  of  relief.  The  only 
one  of  the  party  who  was  rather  quiet  was  Grace, 
but  Sam  did  everything  he  could  to  make  it  pleas 
ant  for  her,  and  before  nightfall  she  was  as  jolly 
as  ever. 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  NEW  YORK          285 

The  run  during  that  day  was  through  a  par 
ticularly  beautiful  section  of  the  country,  and 
about  one  o'clock  they  stopped  in  a  grove  and 
partook  of  a  lunch  which  had  been  put  up  for 
them  at  the  Larkinburg  hotel.  Then  they  moved 
forward  once  again,  with  Dick  and  Tom  at  the 
steering  wheels  of  the  cars. 

"Still  seventy-three  miles  to  go  if  we  want 
to  make  Etoria  to-day,"  announced  Dick,  after 
consulting  the  guide  book.  "I'm  afraid  that  will 
be  quite  a  ride  for  you  ladies,"  he  added,  turning 
to  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Laning. 

"Oh,  yes,  let  us  go  on  to  Etoria  by  all  means," 
pleaded  Sam. 

"Any  particular  reason  for  going  to  that  city  ?'r 
asked  Tom,  quickly. 

"Yes,  I've  got  a  reason,  but  I'm  not  going 
to  tell  you,"  returned  his  younger  brother.  And 
then,  as  both  Dick  and  Tom  looked  at  him  ques^ 
tioningly,  he  blushed  and  turned  away. 

"Oh,  go  ahead.  I  think  I  can  stand  it,"  sak* 
Mrs.  Stanhope,  with  a  smile. 

"I  am  getting  used  to  traveling,"  declared 
Mrs.  Laning.  "It's  much  more  comfortable  thar. 
I  at  first  supposed  it  would  be." 

Nightfall  found  them  still  ten  miles  from  Eto 
ria  and  Dick  asked  the  others  if  they  wished  to 
stop  anywhere  along  the  way  for  supper.  All 


286  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

declared,  however,  that  they  would  rather  keep 
on  until  the  city  was  reached. 

"They  tell  me  that  they  have  got  a  dandy  ho 
tel  there — something  new,"  said  Sam.  "We 
ought  to  get  first-class  accommodations  there." 

Etoria  was  a  city  of  some  fifty  thousand  in 
habitants,  with  a  long  main  street  brightly  light 
ed  up.  The  new  hotel  was  opposite  a  beautiful 
public  park,  an  ideal  location.  Sam  seemed  to 
be  in  unusual  haste  to  finish  his  supper,  and  im 
mediately  it  was  over  he  asked  Grace  if  she  would 
not  take  a  walk  with  him. 

"We  are  going  to  do  up  the  town,  so  don't 
worry  if  we  get  back  a  little  late,"  he  told  Mrs. 
Laning,  and  then  whispered  something  in  her  ear 
which  made  her  smile  and  gaze  at  him  fondly. 

They  pursued  their  way  along  the  main  street 
of  the  town,  and  while  doing  so  the  youngest  Ro 
ver  kept  his  eyes  on  the  various  shops  that  were 
passed.  At  last  they  came  to  a  large  jewelry 
establishment  and  here  he  brought  the  girl  to  a 
halt. 

"It's  open!"  he  cried.  "That's  what  I  call 
luck!  I  was  afraid  they  would  all  be  closed." 

Grace  looked  at  the  store,  and  at  the  display 
of  jewelry  in  the  window,  and  then  looked  at 
Sam. 

"I  guess  you  know  what  it's  going  to  be, 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  NEW  YORK          287 

Grace,"  he  said  rather  tenderly,  and  looked  her 
full  in  the  eyes.  "I  want  you  to  have  just  as 
good  a  one  as  Dora  or  Nellie." 

"Oh,  Sam!  I — I  don't  understand,"  she  stam 
mered. 

"It's  an  engagement  ring.  We  are  going  in 
here  and  see  what  sort  of  rings  this  man  has 
got.  It  looks  like  a  reliable  place." 

"Oh,  Sam!"  and  now,  blushing  deeply,  Grace 
clung  to  his  arm.  "An  engagement  ring?" 

"Sure!  You  ought  to  have  had  it  long  ago, 
then  maybe  we  wouldn't  have  had  any  trouble." 

"There  wasn't  any  trouble,  Sam — at  least,  I 
didn't  make  any  trouble,"  she  repeated;  and 
then,  as  he  caught  her  arm  and  dragged  her  into 
the  shop,  she  murmured :  "Oh,  I — I  feel  so  funny 
to  go  into  a  store  for  a  thing  like  that!  Don't 
you  think  I  had  better  wait  outside?" 

"You  can  if  you  want  to,  after  the  jeweler  has 
measured  your  finger,  Grace.  But  what's  the 
use  of  being  so  backward?  As  soon  as  we  get 
back  home  you  are  going  to  be  Mrs.  Sam  Rover, 
so  you  might  as  well  get  used  to  such  things  first 
as  last." 

Fortunately  for  the  young  couple  it  was  a  very 
elderly  man — quite  fatherly  in  appearance — who 
came  to  wait  on  them. 

"A  diamond  ring?"  he  queried.     "Why,  cer- 


288  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

tainly,  I'll  be  pleased  to  show  everything  we 
have ;"  and  then  he  measured  Grace's  finger,  and 
brought  forth  several  trays  of  glittering  gems. 

Grace  would  have  been  satisfied  with  almost 
any  of  the  rings,  but  Sam  was  rather  critical  and 
insisted  upon  obtaining  a  beautiful  blue-white 
diamond  which  was  almost  the  counterpart  of  the 
stone  Dick  had  bestowed  upon  Dora. 

"Now  you've  got  to  promise  to  have  this  en 
graved  by  eight  o'clock  to-morrow  morning," 
said  the  youngest  Rover  to  the  jeweler.  "We 
are  on  an  automobile  tour  and  we  can't  wait 
any  longer  than  that."  And  thereupon  the  shop 
keeper  promised  that  the  order  should  be  duly 
filled. 

"Oh,  Sam,  how  extravagant  you  are!"  mur 
mured  Grace,  when  the  pair  were  returning  to 
the  hotel.  "Why,  that  ring  cost  a  dreadful  lot 
of  money."  Her  eyes  were  shining  like  stars. 

"It  isn't  a  bit  too  good  for  such  a  girl  as  you," 
he  declared  stoutly,  and  then  gave  her  hand  a 
squeeze  that  meant  a  great  deal. 

When  they  left  Etoria  the  next  morning  Sam 
had  the  engagement  ring  tucked  safely  away  in 
his  pocket.  He  had  confided  in  Dick,  and  the 
oldest  Rover  managed  it  so  that  that  noon  they 
stopped  at  a  large  country  hotel  and  obtained  the 
use  of  a  private  dining-room.  This,  Sam  had 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  NEW  YORK          289 

decorated  with  flowers,  and  just  before  the  meal 
commenced  he  slipped  the  engagement  ring  upon 
Grace's  finger. 

"Oh,  Sam !  Oh,  Grace !"  shrieked  Nellie  when 
she  saw  the  sparkling  circlet  on  her  sister's 
ringer. 

"Oh!  so  that's  what's  going  on,  is  it?"  cried 
Dora,  joyfully.  "Grace,  allow  me  to  congratu 
late  you,"  and  then  she  kissed  the  girl  and  imme 
diately  afterward  kissed  Sam.  Numerous  other 
kisses  and  handshakes  followed,  and  for  the  time 
being  Sam  and  Grace  were  the  happiest  young 
people  in  the  world. 

"Let  us  send  telegrams  home,  announcing  the 
affair,"  suggested  the  youngest  Rover,  after  the 
meal  was  at  an  end.  "I  know  dad,  as  well  as 
Aunt  Martha  and  Uncle  Randolph,  will  be  glad 
to  hear  of  it." 

The  telegrams  were  quickly  prepared  and  sent 
off.  In  the  messages  Sam  notified  those  at  home 
where  the  touring  party  would  be  for  the  next 
ten  days. 

After  that  several  days  slipped  by  quickly. 
The  tourists  had  covered  a  good  many  miles 
and  were  now  approaching  the  Mississippi 
River.  The  weather  had  been  ideal,  and  not  a 
single  puncture  or  blowout  had  come  to  cause 
them  trouble.  Sam  and  Grace  were  much  to- 


290 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


gather,  and,  as  the  youngest  Rover  declared, 
"were  having  the  time  of  their  lives." 

"It's  queer  I  don't  get  more  word  from  New 
York,"  remarked  Dick  one  evening,  when  they 
had  reached  a  city  which  I  shall  call  Pemberton. 
"Dad  acknowledged  that  telegram  of  Sam's,  but 
he  didn't  say  a  word  about  that  Lansing  deal  or 
anything  about  the  Bruno  bonds." 

"Well,  let  us  hope  that  no  news  is  good  news," 
returned  Tom.  "Anyway,  I'm  not  going  to 
worry  until  I  know  there  is  something  to  worry 
about." 

That  evening  came  word  from  Valley  Brook, 
stating  that  everything  was  going  along  well  at 
the  farm  and  that  Mr.  Anderson  Rover  was  con 
fining  himself  closely  to  business  in  New  York. 

The  Mississippi  was  crossed,  and  then  the  tour 
ists  headed  in  the  direction  of  Colorado  Springs. 
It  was  their  intention  to  make  the  Springs  the 
turning  point  of  the  trip,  with  a  side  trip  by  the 
cog  railway  to  Pike's  Peak.  They  would  return 
by  the  way  of  Denver.  Some  days  later  found 
them  in  Topeka,  where  they  had  decided  to  rest 
up  for  a  day  or  two.  During  that  time  only  one 
short  telegram  had  come  from  Mr.  Anderson 
Rover,  stating  that  the  Bruno  bonds  had  been 
sold  at  a  fair  profit,  but  that  the  Lansing  deal  was 
still  uncertain. 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  NEW  YORK          291 

"We  stand  to  win  or  lose  quite  a  lot  of  money 
on  that  Lansing  deal,"  Dick  explained  to  Sam. 
"It's  rather  a  peculiar  affair.  The  whole  thing 
is  being  engineered  by  a  Wall  Street  syndicate." 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  in  Topeka, 
when  Sam  and  Grace  and  some  of  the  others 
had  gone  shopping,  Dick  heard  one  of  the  bell 
boys  call  his  name. 

"Telegram,"  he  said  to  Tom.  "I  hope  this  is 
from  dad  and  that  it  contains  good  news." 

The  telegram  proved  to  be  what  is  known  as 
a  Night  Letter,  and  its  contents  caused  the  two 
Rovers  much  astonishment.  The  communica 
tion  ran  as  follows: 

"Have  been  following  up  the  Lansing  deal 
closely.  Affairs  are  getting  rather  clouded  and  I 
am  afraid  we  may  lose  out.  A  new  opposition 
has  appeared,  a  combination  headed  by  your  for 
mer  friend,  Waltham.  He  is  still  in  the  West 
but  his  agents  are  working  against  us.  He  has 
also  bought  controlling  interest  in  the  Haver- 
ford  deal.  Evidently  means  to  hit  us  as  hard  as 
possible.  Will  know  more  in  a  day  or  two  and 
will  let  you  know  at  once  of  any  change  in  affairs. 

"ANDERSON  ROVER." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

CLOUDBURST     AND     FLOOD 

"I  SEE  it !"  cried  Tom.  "That's  the  spoke  Ches 
ter  Wahham  told  Sam  he  would  put  in  our 
wheel." 

"I  gueiiS  you  are  right,"  returned  his  older 
brother.  "Evidently  Waltham  is  a  meaner  fellow 
than  I  tool;  him  to  be.  Just  because  Grace  would 
not  put  up  with  his  ungentlemanly  attentions  he 
evidently  is  going  to  do  what  he  can  to  make 
trouble  for  us." 

"I  don't  understand  what  dad  means  by  the 
Haverford  deal,"  went  on  Tom,  as  he  studied  the 
telegram.  "I  thought  that  deal  was  closed  long 
ago." 

"They  thought  of  closing  it,  Tom,  but  at  the 
last  moment  something  went  wrong  and  the  men 
who  were  going  into  the  matter  withdrew.  That 
put  a  large  part  of  the  burden  on  our  shoulders. 
We  have  at  least  forty  thousand  dollars  invested 
in  it.  Now,  if  Waltham  has  bought  a  controlling 
interest,  as  dad  says,  he  will  be  able  to  swing  it 
292 


CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD  293 

any  way  he  pleases,  just  as  he  may  be  able  to 
swing  the  Lansing  deal,  too." 

"How  much  money  have  we  got  locked  up  in 
that?  The  last  I  heard  it  was  only  about  eight 
thousand  dollars." 

"When  I  left,  dad  said  he  expected  to  put  in 
another  twelve  thousand,  which  would  make  a 
total  of  twenty  thousand  dollars,  Tom." 

"Phew!  Then  that  makes  a  grand  total  of 
sixty  thousand  dollars  in  the  two  deals.  Ches 
ter  Waltham  must  have  a  lot  of  loose  money,  if 
he  can  jump  into  deals  as  big  as  those  are  at  a 
moment's  notice." 

"Oh,  a  young  millionaire  like  Waltham  can  get 
hold  of  cash  whenever  he  wants  it,"  answered 
Dick.  He  ran  his  hand  through  his  hair  thought 
fully.  "This  looks  bad  to  me.  Perhaps  I  had 
better  take  a  train  back  to  New  York  without 
delay." 

"Oh,  if  you  did  that  it  would  spoil  the  trip  for 
Dora,"  protested  his  brother. 

"It's  better  to  spoil  the  trip  than  to  let  Chester 
Waltham  get  the  better  of  us." 

"Why  not  send  a  telegram  asking  if  it  will  do 
any  good  for  you  to  come  home?"  questioned 
Tom.  And  after  a  little  discussion  Dick  decided 
to  do  this,  and  the  telegram  was  sent  without 
delay.  A  few  hours  later  word  came  back  that 


294 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


if  Dick  was  needed  his  father  would  send  for  him. 

The  stay  in  Topeka  was  extended  to  the  best 
part  of  a  week,  for  that  night  a  furious  rainstorm 
set  in  which  lasted  two  days.  The  downpour  was 
unusually  heavy,  and  as  a  consequence  many  of 
the  outlying  roads  became  well-nigh  impassable. 

During-  the  last  day  of  the  storm  Sam  received 
a  long  letter  from  Songbird  in  which  the  would- 
be  poet  told  of  how  he  was  working  to  make  his 
way  in  the  world  and  also  earn  some  money  that 
he  might  pay  back  the  amount  lost  by  Mr.  Sander 
son.  He  added  that  so  far  the  authorities  had 
been  unable  to  find  any  further  trace  of  Blackie 
Crowden. 

"It's  too  bad!"  was  Sam's  comment,  after  he 
had  read  this  communication.  "Poor  Songbird! 
I  suppose  he  feels  as  bad  as  ever  over  the  loss  of 
that  money." 

At  last  the  sun  once  more  broke  through  the 
clouds  and  the  journey  of  the  tourists  was  re 
sumed.  Close  to  the  city  the  roads  were  in  fairly 
good  condition,  but  farther  out  they  soon  found 
evidences  of  the  tremendous  downpour  of  the 
days  before.  Deep  gullies  had  been  cut  here 
and  there,  and  occasionally  they  came  across 
washed-out  trees  and  brushwood. 

"We'll  have  to  take  it  a  bit  slowly,  especially 
after  dark,"  remarked  Dick. 


CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD  295 

When  they  passed  over  some  of  the  rivers  they 
found  the  rushing  waters  reached  almost  to  the 
flooring  of  the  bridges ;  and  on  the  second  day 
out  they  found  one  bridge  swept  completely  away, 
so  that  they  had  to  make  a  detour  of  many  miles 
to  gain  another  crossing. 

"What  a  tremendous  loss  to  some  of  these 
farmers,"  remarked  Mrs.  Laning,  as  they  rolled 
past  numerous  cornfields  where  the  stalks  had 
been  swept  down  and  covered  with  mud.  "I  am 
glad  to  say  we  never  had  anything  like  this  at 
Cedarville." 

"And  we  never  had  anything  like  it  at  Valley 
Brook  either,"  returned  Pkk.  "This  is  the 
worst  washout  I  ever  saw." 

At  noon  they  stopped  at  a  small  town  for  din 
ner  and  there  they  heard  numerous  reports  con 
cerning  the  storm.  In  one  place  it  had  taken  away 
a  barn  and  a  cowshed  and  in  another  it  had 
undermined  the  foundations  of  several  houses. 

"The  water  up  to  Hickyville  was  thre^  feet 
deep  in  the  street,"  said  one  man  at  the  hotel. 
"The  folks  had  to  rescue  people  by  boats  and 
rafts.  One  man  had  four  cows  drowned,  and  up 
at  Ganey  Point  a  man  lost  all  his  pigs  and  two 
horses." 

The  party  had  scarcely  left  that  town  when  it 
began  to  rain  again.  The  downpour,  however, 


296  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

was  for  a  time  so  light  that  they  did  not  think  it 
worth  while  to  stop  or  to  turn  back. 

"We'll  put  the  tops  up,"  said  Tom,  "and  maybe 
in  a  little  while  the  clouds  will  blow  away." 

But  Tom's  hopes  were  doomed  to  disappoint 
ment.  The  downpour  was  comparatively  light  for 
about  an  hour,  but  then,  just  as  they  were  passing 
through  a  patch  of  timber,  it  suddenly  came  on 
with  great  fury. 

"Great  Scott!"  burst  out  Sam,  as  a  gust  of 
wind  drove  the  rain  under  the  automobile  tops. 
"We'll  have  to  put  down  the  side  curtains." 

"Right  you  are !"  answered  Dick ;  and  then  the 
machines  were  halted  and  all  the  curtains  were 
lowered  and  fastened.  But  even  this  did  not 
protect  them  entirely,  for  the  wind  drove  the  rain 
in  between  the  numerous  cracks  of  the  covering. 

"How  many  miles  to  the  next  stopping  place  ?" 
queried  Nellie. 

"About  thirty,"  answered  Tom.  "That  is,  if 
we  go  as  far  as  we  calculated  to  when  we  left  this 
morning." 

"Oh,  I  don't  see  how  we  are  going  to  make 
thirty  miles  more  in  such  a  storm  as  this !"  cried 
her  sister. 

"We'll  be  lucky  to  make  any  kind  of  stopping 
place,"  announced  Dick,  grimly,  "Just  listen  to 
that!" 


CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD  297 

There  was  a  wild  roaring  of  wind  outside,  and 
then  came  a  flash  of  lightning  followed  by  a  deaf 
ening  clap  of  thunder. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  came  in  a  shriek  from  the  girls; 
and  involuntarily  they  placed  their  hands  to  their 
ears. 

"Richard,  do  you  think  it  is  safe  to  stay  under 
the  trees  in  such  a  storm  as  this?"  questioned 
Mrs.  Stanhope,  fearfully. 

Before  Dick  could  reply  to  this  question  there 
came  more  lightning  and  thunder,  and  then  a 
crash  in  the  woods  as  a  big  tree  was  laid  low. 

"Oh,  dear!  Listen!"  cried  Nellie.  "Suppose 
one  of  the  trees  should  come  down  on  the  autos !" 

"That  is  what  I  was  afraid  of,"  added  her 
mother.  "I  think  we  had  better  get  out  of  here." 

"All  right,  if  you  say  so,"  answered  Dick.  "I 
was  only  thinking  about  the  awful  wind.  It's 
going  to  hit  us  pretty  hard  when  we  get  out  on 
the  open  road." 

The  automobiles  had  drawn  up  side  by  side,  so 
that  those  in  one  machine  could  convert  with 
those  in  the  other.  Now  Dick  started  up  one 
of  the  touring  cars  and  was  followed  a  minute 
later  by  Tom,  at  the  wheel  of  the  other  auto 
mobile. 

Once  in  the  open  air,  those  in  the  machines  real 
ized  how  furiously  the  wind  was  blowing  and 


298  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

how  heavily  the  rain  was  descending.  The  auto 
mobiles  fairly  shook  and  shivered  in  the  blasts, 
and  despite  their  efforts  to  keep  themselves  dry 
all  those  in  the  automobiles  were  speedily 
drenched.  The  downpour  was  so  heavy  that  the 
landscape  on  all  sides  was  completely  blotted  out. 

"Oh,  Dick!  what  in  the  world  shall  we  do?" 
gasped  Dora,  and  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that 
she  was  badly  frightened. 

"I'd  turn  in  somewhere  if  I  only  knew  where," 
answered  her  husband,  trying  his  best  to  peer 
through  the  rain-spattered  wind-shield.  "I  don't 
see  anything  like  a  house  anywhere  around,  do 
you?" 

"No,  I  can't  see  a  thing." 

Dick  was  running  along  cautiously,  and  now, 
of  a  sudden,  he  put  on  the  brakes.  Just  ahead  of 
him  had  appeared  a  flood  of  water,  and  how  deep 
it  was  there  was  no  telling. 

"Listen !"  cried  Mrs.  Stanhope,  when  the  auto 
mobile  had  come  to  a  standstill.  "Did  I  hear 
somebody  calling?" 

Scarcely  had  she  spoken  when  there  came  an 
other  vivid  flash  of  lightning  followed  by  more 
thunder,  and  then  a  downpour  heavier  than  ever. 
As  the  lightning  flashed  out  Dick  was  surprised 
to  see  a  girl  splashing  through  the  water  on  the 
road  and  running  toward  them. 


CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD  299 

"Look !  Look !"  he  ejaculated.  "Unless  I  am 
mistaken  it's  Ada  Waltham!" 

"It  is !  It  is !"  exclaimed  Dora.  "What  in  the 
world  is  she  doing  out  alone  in  such  a  downpour 
as  this!" 

As  the  girl  on  the  road  came  closer  to  the  tour 
ing  car  Dick  threw  up  one  of  the  curtains,  opened 
the  door,  and  sprang  out  to  meet  her. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Rover!"  gasped  Ada  Waltham,  "is 
it  really  you  ?  How  fortunate !  Won't  you  please 
help  me?" 

"What's  wrong?"  he  demanded  quickly. 

"Chester!     He's  lost!" 

"Lost!    Where  ?" 

"He  tried  to  cross  the  river  yonder  in  the 
storm,  and  the  bridge  broke  and  let  the  automobile 
down.  I  managed  to  save  myself  and  jumped 
ashore,  but  he  was  carried  off  by  the  torrent." 
The  rich  girl  clasped  her  hands  nervously.  "Oh, 
please  save  him,  Mr.  Rover!  Please  do!" 

By  this  time  the  second  automobile  had  come 
up,  and  Dick  waved  to  Tom  to  stop.  Seeing  that 
something  was  wrong,  Tom  quickly  alighted, 
followed  by  Sam. 

"What's  wrong?"  came  from  both  of  the  new 
arrivals,  as  they  gazed  at  Ada  Waltham  in  aston 
ishment. 

"Miss  Waltham  says  her  brother  is  lost — that 


300 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


he  has  been  carried  off  in  the  flood  of  yonder 
river,"  answered  Dick. 

"Oh,  please  hurry !"  burst  out  the  girl  eagerly. 
"Please  hurry,  or  it  will  be  too  late !  I  don't  think 
Chester  can  swim." 

"All  right,  we'll  tell  the  others  where  we  are 
going  and  then  we'll  do  what  we  can,"  answered 
Dick.  "But  if  that  flood  is  very  strong  we  may 
have " 

Dick  was  unable  to  finish  his  speech.  Just  then 
there  came  more  lightning  followed  by  a  deafen 
ing  crash  of  thunder.  Then  the  very  heavens 
seemed  to  open,  to  let  down  a  torrent  of  water 
which  seemed  to  fairly  engulf  them. 

"Oh!  Oh!  Oh!"  came  from  the  women  and 
the  girls.  "Oh!  what  a  terrible  storm!" 

"It  is  a  cloudburst !  That's  what  it  is !"  gasped 
Sam. 

"You're  right !"  ejaculated  Tom.  "Look !  See 
how  the  water  in  the  river  is  rising !  It's  a  cloud 
burst  and  a  flood!" 

Tom  was  right — there  had  been  a  cloudburst, 
but  fortunately  not  directly  over  the  heads  of  our 
friends,  otherwise  they  might  have  perished  in 
the  terrible  downpour  which  immediately  fol 
lowed.  The  catastrophe  had  occurred  at  a  point 
about  a  mile  farther  up  the  river,  and  now  the 
waters  from  this  flood  were  coming  down  with 


CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD  301 

great  swiftness  and  rising  higher  and  higher  every 
instant. 

"We've  got  to  get  out  of  here,"  was  Sam's 
comment.  Already  they  were  standing  in  water 
up  to  their  ankles.  "We've  got  to  find  higher 
ground." 

"Oh,  Sam!  Sam!  please  don't  let  my  brother 
drown !"  pleaded  Ada  Waltham,  catching  him  by 
the  arm. 

"We'll  do  what  we  can  to  save  him,  Ada,  but 
we've  got  to  save  ourselves  first,"  he  answered. 

"See!  there  is  a  little  hill  ahead,"  came  from 
Dick,  as  he  did  his  best  to  look  through  the  rain, 
which  was  coming  down  as  heavily  as  ever.  "Let 
us  run  to  the  top  of  the  rise,  then  we'll  be  in  less 
danger  from  the  flood  if  the  river  gets  much 
higher."  He  turned  to  the  distracted  girl, 
"Come,  you  had  better  go  with  us,  then  we  will 
see  what  we  can  do  for  your  brother." 

"Oh,  Dick!  Dick!  If  you  don't  hurry  we'll 
be  swept  away,  sure !"  cried  Dora,  and  then  made 
room  so  that  Ada  might  get  in  beside  her. 

In  a  moment  more  the  three  Rovers  had  re- 
entered  the  touring  cars,  and  then  the  machines 
were  sent  forward  through  the  water,  which  was 
now  nearly  a  foot  deep  on  the  roadway. 

"Oh!  I  never  saw  such  a  storm  in  my  life," 
was  Mrs.  Laning's  comment. 


302  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"If  only  we  get  out  of  this  alive!"  breathed 
Mrs.  Stanhope.  Being  naturally  a  very  nervous 
woman,  she  was  on  the  verge  of  a  collapse. 

Running  with  care  through  the  swirling  water 
that  covered  the  roadway,  they  at  length  reached 
a  rise  of  ground  several  feet  above  the  flood. 
Here  they  stopped  at  the  highest  point  they 
could  gain,  bringing  the  machines  side  by  side. 

When  the  storm  had  started  in  earnest  the 
three  Rovers  had  donned  their  raincoats.  Now, 
with  rain  caps  pulled  well  down  over  their  heads, 
they  once  more  alighted. 

"If  you  can  show  us  where  your  auto  went 
into  the  river  we'll  see  if  we  can  locate  your 
brother,"  announced  Dick  to  Ada  Waltham. 
"Maybe  he  got  out  and  is  walking  somewhere 
around  here,"  he  added,  by  way  of  encourage 
ment. 

"Oh,  dear!  I'm  so  nervous  I  can  scarcely 
stand !"  gasped  the  girl,  and  when  she  reached  the 
Aground  they  had  to  support  her. 

Splashing  along  through  the  water  that  cov 
ered  the  roadway,  they  slowly  progressed  until 
they  gained  a  point  where  the  youths  felt  it  would 
be  impossible  for  Ada  Waltham  to  go  any  farther. 

"There  is  what  is  left  of  the  bridge  over  yon 
der,"  cried  the  girl,  pointing  with  her  hand. 

The  Rovers  looked  in  that  direction  and  saw 


CLOUDBURST  AND  FLOOD  303 

a  few  sticks  of  timber  sticking  out  of  the  swirling 
waters,  which  were  running  down  stream  as  turb- 
ulently  as  ever. 

"I  don't  think  there  is  any  use  of  looking  for 
Chester  around  that  bridge,"  was  Tom's  remark. 
"Most  likely  he  was  carried  down  stream — how 
far  there  is  no  telling.  I  think  the  best  thing  we 
can  do  is  to  take  a  look  farther  down." 

"That  is  just  my  opinion,"  returned  his  older 
brother.  "I  think  you  had  better  return  to  the 
autos.  It  won't  do  any  good  for  you  to  remain 
out  in  this  storm,"  he  continued  to  the  girl. 

When  the  party  got  back  to  the  cars  they  found 
a  farmer  and  his  grown  son  standing  by  the 
machines. 

"I  was  just  telling  the  ladies  you  had  better 
run  your  automobiles  up  to  my  place,"  said  the 
farmer.  "It's  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  higher 
than  this,  and,  consequently,  just  so  much  safer. 
Besides,  the  ladies  can  come  into  the  house." 

"We  want  to  find  this  young  lady's  brother. 
He  was  swept  off  the  bridge  yonder,"  returned 
Dick. 

"So  the  ladies  were  telling  me,"  returned  James 
Barlow.  "You  come  up  to  the  house,  and  I'll  go 
out  with  you.  We've  got  a  big  rowboat  that  may 
come  in  handy.  Say!  ain't  this  some  storm? 
Worst  let-down  I've  ever  seen  in  these  parts." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE    RESCUE    ON    THE    RIVER 

IT  did  not  take  long  to  run  the  automobiles 
down  the  road  and  up  a  side  lane  leading  to  the 
farmer's  house.  Here  the  ladies  got  out,  and 
then  the  machines  were  placed  in  a  barn. 

"You  will  do  all  you  can  to  find  my  brother?" 
wailed  Ada  Waltham,  anxiously. 

"Yes,  we'll  do  our  level  best,"  answered  Dick ; 
and  Tom  and  Sam  said  practically  the  same. 

The  Rovers  consulted  with  Mr.  Barlow  and  his 
son,  James,  and  all  five  walked  down  as  close  to 
the  edge  of  the  river  as  the  effects  of  the  cloud 
burst  would  allow.  They  saw  bushes,  trees,  and 
parts  of  buildings  coming  down  the  swiftly- 
flowing  stream,  the  waters  of  which  were  now 
thick  with  mud. 

"Here  is  my  rowboat,"  announced  the  farmer, 
pointing  to  where  the  craft  was  tied  fast  to  a 
large  tree.  "You  can  use  it  if  you  want  to,  but 
it  looks  to  me  like  rather  a  hopeless  matter  to  try 
to  do  anything  while  the  river  is  raging  like  th-is. 
304 


THE  RESCUE  ON  THE  RIVER  305 

You  had  better  wait  until  it  calms  down  a  little." 

"The  trouble  of  it  is,  it  may  then  be  too  late," 
answered  Tom.  He  looked  at  his  brothers.  "I 
think  we  can  manage  it,"  he  added. 

The  matter  was  discussed  for  fully  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  and  during  that  time  the  storm  seemed 
to  let  up  a  little.  The  first  awful  effects  of  the 
cloudburst  were  passing,  and  the  water  was  go 
ing  down  slowly  but  surely. 

"We'll  try  it,"  announced  Dick,  at  last.  "If 
we  can't  manage  the  rowboat  we'll  come  ashore 
farther  down  the  stream." 

The  craft  was  a  substantial  one,  and  there  were 
two  pairs  of  oars,  and  to  these  James  Barlow 
added  a  sweep  to  be  used  as  a  rudder.  Then 
the  three  Rovers  embarked,  Tom  and  Sam  to  do 
the  rowing  and  the  other  brother  to  guide  the 
craft.  It  was  hard,  dangerous  work,  as  they 
realized  as  soon  as  they  struck  the  current  of 
the  swollen  stream.  They  were  sent  along  pell- 
mell,  and  it  was  all  they  could  do  to  keep  them 
selves  from  crashing  into  one  object  or  another  on 
the  way. 

"Look  out,  or  you'll  get  upset!"  yelled  James 
Barlow  to  them,  and  then  his  voice  was  drowned 
out  in  the  rushing  and  roaring  of  the  elements 
around  them. 

A   half   hour   passed — which   to   the   Rovers 


3o6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

just  then  seemed  almost  an  age.  During  that  time 
the  three  kept  their  eyes  wide  open  for  a  possible 
sight  of  Chester  Waltham  or  anybody  else  who 
might  have  been  carried  away  by  the  flood. 

"There  is  somebody!"  suddenly  called  out 
Dick.  "A  man  caught  in  a  tree!" 

"Is  it  Waltham?"  demanded  Tom,  quickly. 

"I  can't  make  out.  He  is  crouched  in  a  heap 
on  some  limbs  and  is  waving  frantically  for  us." 

Not  without  additional  peril  did  the  Rovers 
turn  the  rowboat  across  the  river,  for  the  tree  in 
which  the  man  was  crouching  was  on  the  shore 
opposite  to  that  from  which  they  had  embarked. 

"Hello!  there  are  two  fellows  in  the  treel" 
announced  Tom,  as  they  drew  closer. 

The  second  man  crouched  behind  the  trunk,  so 
that  they  had  not  at  first  been  able  to  see  him. 

"Help!  Help!"  came  from  the  fellow  who 
had  been  waving  so  frantically  to  them.  And 
now,  as  they  drew  still  closer,  they  saw  that  the 
individual  was  Chester  Waltham.  The  young 
millionaire  was  capless  and  coatless,  and  his  face 
and  hands  were  much  scratched. 

"We're  in  luck,  that's  sure,"  was  Tom's  com 
ment,  in  a  low  voice. 

"And  I'm  glad  on  his  sister's  account,"  added 
Sam, 

"When  we  bring  the  boat  up  beside  the  tree  you 


THE  RESCUE  ON  THE  RIVER  307 

lower  yourself  into  it,  Waltham,"  directed  Dick. 
"But  be  careful  how  you  do  it  or  we'll  upset, 
The  current  here  is  very  swift." 

"Yes,  yes,  I'll  be  careful,"  answered  the  young1 
millionaire  in  a  voice  which  trembled  so  that  he. 
could  scarcely  speak.  He  was,  of  course,  much 
surprised  to  discover  that  it  was  the  Rovers  who 
had  come  to  his  assistance. 

He  was  so  exhausted  that  to  get  out  of  the  tree 
in  safety  was  all  but  impossible,  and  finally  Dick 
had  to  assist  him  while  Tom  and  Sam  did  all 
they  could  to  hold  the  rowboat  in  position. 

"It's  fine  of  you  to  come  for  me !"  panted  Ches 
ter  Waltham,  when  he  found  himself  safe  in  the 
rowboat.  Di-did  my  si-sister  get  you,  or  what?" 

"Yes,  she  escaped  and  told  us  of  your  plight," 
answered  Dick,  briefly. 

"Good  for  Ada!  Now  get  me  safe  on  shore 
once  more  and  I'll  pay  you  handsomely  for  your 
trouble." 

"You  won't  have  to  pay  us  a  cent,  Waltham," 
was  Sam's  quick  reply.  "Just  sit  still  so  that  the 
boat  doesn't  go  over." 

"Can  I  help  you  in  any  way?" 

"No.  Sit  still,  that's  all,"  came  from  Tom, 
sharply.  The  idea  of  having  Waltham  speak  of 
paying  them  at  such  a  time  disgusted  him. 

In  the  meantime  the  second  fellow  in  the  tree 


308  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

had  moved  down  a  limb  or  two  with  the  idea  of 
following  Waltham  into  the  rowboat.  But  now, 
as  he  looked  at  the  three  Rovers,  he  suddenly 
drew  back. 

"Hi  there !  don't  you  want  to  come  with  us  ?" 
cried  Dick,  considerably  astonished  over  the  man's 
actions. 

To  this  the  individual  in  the  tree  made  no  reply. 
He  kept  behind  the  trunk  and  finally  waved  a 
hand  as  if  to  motion  them  away. 

"Say!  is  that  fellow  crazy?"  questioned  Sam. 

"He  must  be,"  was  Tom's  comment.  He  turned 
to  Chester  Waltham.  "Do  you  know  him!" 

"No,  he's  a  stranger  to  me.  I  tried  to  speak 
to  him,  but  he  was  so  scared  and  cold  from  the 
ducking  he  got  he  did  nothing  but  chatter,  so  I 
couldn't  understand  him." 

"See  here,  it's  foolish  to  stay  up  there,"  called 
out  Dick.  "Come  on  down  and  we'll  take  you 
ashore." 

"D-do-don't  want  to  g-g-go,"  came  the  stut- 
tered-out  reply.  "G-go-wheep !"  came  in  a  funny 
little  whistle.  "G-g-go  a-away!" 

"Well,  of  all  the  scared  fellows "  com 
menced  Tom. 

"Great  Scott !  I  wonder  if  that  fellow  can  be 
Blackie  Crowden!"  ejaculated  Sam. 

"G-g-go  a-wa-way!"  stuttered  the  man  in  the 


THE  RESCUE  ON  THE  RIVER 


309 


tree,  and  then  tried  to  say  something  more,  but 
the  words  only  ended  in  a  strange  little  whistle. 

"Sam,  do  you  really  think  it  can  be  the  fellow 
who  robbed  Songbird?"  demanded  Dick.  "What 
would  he  be  doing  away  out  here  ?" 

"Why,  Blackie  Crowden  came  from  Denvef 
or  Colorado  Springs,"  announced  the  youngest 
Rover.  "Remember,  we  are  not  so  many  mile? 
away  from  those  places."  He  raised  his  voice. 
"You  come  down  out  of  there,  Crowden.  We 
know  you  and  we  want  you." 

At  this  command  the  man  in  the  tree  seemed 
much  disturbed.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  because 
of  his  natural  stutter  and  his  terror  of  the  situa 
tion  through  which  he  was  passing,  his  effort  was 
a  failure. 

"If  you  don't  come  down,  we'll  haul  you 
down,"  ordered  Dick,  finally,  and  then,  after  a 
little  more  urging,  the  fellow  finally  consented  to 
come  out  of  the  tree,  and  dropped  into  the  row- 
boat. 

"Blackie  Crowden,  as  sure  as  fate !"  murmured 
Sam,  as  soon  as  he  got  a  good  look  at  the  fellow's 
features.  "Well,  if  this  isn't  luck!" 

"Evidently  you  know  this  fellow,"  came  from 
Chester  Waltham,  curiously. 

"We  sure  do !"  declared  Sam.  "He's  the  man 
who  knocked  our  college  chum,  John  Powell, 


3io  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

down  on  the  road  near  Ashton  and  robbed  him 
of  four  thousand  dollars." 

"I  di-didn't  r-r-rob  any  bo-body,"  stuttered 
Blackie  Crowden.  "It's  all  a  mi-mis-mis-mista-ta- 
take !"  and  he  ended  with  his  usual  queer  whistle. 

"We'll  see  about  that  later,  Crowden,"  put  in 
Dick,  sternly.  "Now  you  sit  perfectly  still  or 
else  maybe  you'll  go  overboard  and  be  drowned." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  joy  with 
which  Ada  Waltham  greeted  her  brother  on  his 
safe  return.  She  flew  into  his  arms  and,  as  wet 
as  he  was,  hugged  him  over  and  over  again. 

"Oh!  I  was  so  afraid  you'd  be  drowned, 
Chester!"  and  then  she  added  quickly:  "How 
grand  it  was  for  the  Rovers  to  go  to  your  as 
sistance  !" 

"It  certainly  was  very  fine  of  them  to  do  it," 
returned  the  young  millionaire.  And  now  it  must 
be  admitted  that  he  seemed  very  much  disturbed 
in  mind.  "I'm  going  to  pay  them  back,  you  see 
if  I  don't,"  he  added,  after  a  thoughtful  pause. 

Blackie  Crowden  had  done  his  best  to  make 
them  believe  that  he  was  not  guilty  of  the  attack 
upon  Songbird,  but  the  Rovers  would  not  listen 
to  this,  and  put  him  through  such  a  grilling  that 
finally  he  broke  down  and  confessed  all. 

"I  wouldn't  have  done  the  deed  at  all  if  it 
hadn't  been  that  I  was  worried  over  another  mat- 


THE  RESCUE  ON  THE  RIVER 

ter,"  he  said  amid  much  stuttering1  and  whistling. 
"I  ain't  a  bad  man  naturally,  even  though  I  do 
drink  and  gamble  a  little.  If  it  hadn't  been  for 
a  lawyer  named  Belright  Fogg  I  would  never  have 
robbed  the  young  man." 

"Belright  Fogg!"  came  from  the  Rovers. 

"What  has  that  shyster  lawyer  to  do  with  it  ?" 
added  Sam. 

"Do  you  know  he  is  a  shyster  lawyer?" 

"We  sure  do !"  added  Tom,  promptly. 

"Then  you  will  understand  me  when  I  tell  you 
how  it  was.  Some  time  ago  I  was  mixed  up  in  a 
land  transaction.  It  is  a  long  story,  and  all  I 
need  to  tell  you  is  that  Belright  Fogg  was  in  it, 
too.  I  did  some  things  that  I  oughtn't  to,  and 
that  gave  Fogg  a  hold  on  me.  Finally  he  claimed 
that  I  owed  him  three  hundred  dollars,  and  he 
said  if  I  didn't  pay  up  he  would  make  it  hot  for 
me  and  maybe  land  me  in  jail.  That  got  me 
scared  and  I  said  I'd  get  the  money  somehow. 

"Then  by  accident  I  saw  Powell  get  the  money 
from  the  bank,  and  I  followed  him  on  horseback, 
passed  him,  and  took  the  cash,  as  you  know. 
As  soon  as  the  deed  was  done  I  was  sorry  for  it, 
but  then  it  was  too  late,"  stuttered  Blackie  Crow- 
den,  and  hung  his  head. 

"And  did  you  go  to  Belright  Fogg  and  give 
him  the  three  hundred  dollars?"  queried  Sam. 


3I2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

"Yes.  I  met  him  in  Leadenfield,  at  a  road 
house  kept  by  a  Frenchman  named  Bissette." 

"Then  I  was  right  after  all!"  cried  Sam.  "I 
accused  Fogg  of  meeting  you,  but  he  denied  it." 

"Well,  he  got  the  three  hundred  all  right 
enough,"  stuttered  Crowden. 

"And  how  was  it  you  tried  to  keep  out  of  our 
sight  in  that  flood  ?"  asked  Sam  curiously.  "Did 
you  know  us?" 

"I  knew  you — saw  you  follow  me  to  the  depot 
at  Dentonville.  You  thought  I  got  on  that  train. 
But  I  didn't — I  took  a  night  freight." 

"I  see.  That  is  why  the  authorities  didn't  spot 
you." 

"That's  it.  But  you  were  asking  about  Fogg," 
continued  Blackie  Crowden,  speculatively. 

"And  did  he  know  you  had  stolen  the  money?" 
demanded  Dick,  sharply. 

"I'm  pretty  sure  he  did,  although  he  didn't 
ask  any  questions.  He  knew  about  the  robbery, 
and  he  knew  well  enough  that  I  didn't  have  any 
three  hundred  dollars  of  my  own  to  give  him." 

"What  did  you  do  with  the  rest  of  the  money, 
Crowden?  I  hope  you  didn't  spend  it?"  ques 
tioned  Sam,  anxiously. 

"Spend  it!"  came  in  a  bitter  stutter  from  the 
criminal.  "I  didn't  get  any  chance  to  spend  it. 
All  I  had  was  two  hundred  dollars!" 


THE  RESCUE  ON  THE  RIVER  313 

"Then  what  became  of  the  other  thirty-five 
hundred?"  questioned  Tom. 

"It's  in  a  room  at  the  Ashton  hotel,  unless  some 
body  found  it  and  stole  it." 

"At  the  Ashton  hotel !"  cried  Sam. 

"That's  it.  You  see,  after  I  met  Fogg  I 
stopped  at  Ashton  for  one  night  and  put  up  at 
the  old  hotel  on  the  Cheesley  turnpike.  I  hid 
the  money  in  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  a 
clothes  closet,  because  I  didn't  want  to  carry  it 
on  my  person.  Then,  when  I  was  on  the  street, 
I  heard  that  you  were  on  my  trail,  and  I  got 
scared  and  I  was  afraid  to  go  back  to  the  hotel 
to  get  it." 

"Can  you  remember  what  room  it  was?" 
queried  Tom. 

"Yes,  it  was  a  back  room — number  twenty- 
two.  I  put  the  money  in  a  hole  in  the  wall  back 
of  an  upper  shelf." 

"We  had  better  notify  the  authorities  at  Ash 
ton  of  this,"  said  Tom  to  his  brothers. 

"Let  us  telegraph  to  Songbird  and  tell  him  to 
go  to  Ashton,"  suggested  Sam.  "If  the  money 
is  there,  Songbird  ought  to  have  the  fun  of  get 
ting  it  and  returning  it  to  Mr.  Sanderson." 

"All  right,  kt's  do  it !"  cried  Dick ;  and  so  the 
matter  was  arranged. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

MRS.    SAM    ROVER CONCLUSION 

"WELL,  that's  good  news  and  I'm  mighty  glad 
to  hear  it." 

It  was  Dick  who  spoke,  three  days  after  the 
incidents  recorded  in  the  last  chapter.  Our 
friends  had  been  staying  at  the  farmhouse  of  Mr. 
Barlow.  Blackie  Crowden  had  been  turned  over 
to  the  local  authorities,  the  oldest  Rover  making 
the  charge  against  him.  Crowden  had  pleaded 
for  mercy,  but  the  boys,  while  sympathizing  with 
him,  had  thought  it  best  to  let  the  law  take  its 
course.  Chester  Waltham  and  his  sister  had  also 
remained  at  the  farmhouse,  which  fortunately 
was  a  large  one,  so  that  the  whole  party  was  not 
particularly  crowded  for  room. 

The  rescue  of  the  young  millionaire  from  the 
river  had  worked  wonders,  and  he  was  now  heart 
ily  ashamed  of  himself,  not  only  for  the  way  he 
had  treated  Grace  but  also  on  account  of  the  in 
structions  he  had  sent  to  his  agents  in  Wall  Street. 

"You  can  rest  assured,  Mr.  Rover,  that  my 
314 


MRS.  SAM  ROVER— CONCLUSION          315 

opposition  to  your  plans  in  New  York  will  be 
withdrawn,"  he  said  to  Dick.  "I  am  going  to 
telegraph  to  my  agents  as  soon  as  I  get  a  chance. 
And  I  want  you  and  your  brothers  to  understand 
that  I  appreciate  thoroughly  your  goodness  in 
coming  to  my  rescue.  It  was  a  splendid  thing  to 
do.  I  am  not  going  to  insult  you  by  offering  you 
any  reward — all  I  can  say  is  that  I  thank  you 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart."  And  that  evening 
Chester  Waltham  and  his  sister  had  taken  their 
departure,  stating  that  the  accident  at  the  bridge 
had  ended  their  idea  of  touring  farther,  and  that 
they  were  going  to  take  the  first  train  they  could 
get  for  the  East. 

The  thing  that  Dick  called  "good  news"  was 
a  long  "Night  Letter"  sent  over  the  wires  by 
Songbird.  The  former  poet  of  Brill  had  received 
their  message  concerning  Blackie  Crowden,  and 
also  Belright  Fogg,  and  had  at  once  hurried  to 
Ashton  and  to  the;  hotel  on  the  Cheesley  turn 
pike.  There,  in  foom  twenty-two,  as  mentioned 
by  Crowden,  he  had  found  the  package  contain 
ing  the  thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  Next  he  had 
called  on  Belright  Fogg  and  had  scared  the  shy 
ster  lawyer  so  completely  that  Fogg  had  returned 
the  three  hundred  dollars  received  from  Crowden 
with  scarcely  a  protest.  Then  the  happy  youth 
had  driven  over  to  the  Sanderson  place.  The 


316  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

Sandersons  had  been  surprised  to  see  him  and 
amazed  to  learn  that  he  had  recovered  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  stolen  money. 

"As  I  had  already  paid  Mr.  Sanderson  one  hun 
dred  dollars,"  wrote  Songbird,  "it  made  a  total 
of  thirty-nine  hundred  returned  to  him,  and  he 
told  me  that  I  need  not  bother  about  the  other 
hundred.  But  I  paid  it  just  the  same,  for  I  had 
just  been  fortunate  enough  to  sell  six  of  my 
poems — two  to  a  magazine  and  four  to  a  weekly 
paper — 'for  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars. 

"Of  course  we  had  a  grand  time,  and  Mr. 
Sanderson  has  forgiven  everything1.  He  and 
Minnie  think  you  are  mighty  smart  fellows,  and 
I  agree  with  them.  Minnie  and  I  have  fixed  mat 
ters  all  up  between  us,  and  we  are  the  happiest 
couple  you  ever  saw.  I  don't  know  how  to  thank 
you  enough  for  what  you  have  done  for  me,  and 
all  I  can  add  is,  God  bless  you,  every  one !" 

"Good  old  Songbird!"  murmured  Sam,  as  he 
read  the  communication  a  second  time.  "I'll 
wager  he  feels  a  hundred  per  cent,  better  than 
he  did." 

"And  to  think  he  sold  six  of  his  poems !"  com 
mented  Tom.  "I  shouldn't  wonder  if  he  thinks 
more  of  that  than  he  does  of  getting  the  money 
back,"  he  added,  somewhat  drily. 


MRS.  SAM  ROVER— CONCLUSION          337 

On  the  following  day  came  another  telegram, 
this  time  from  Mr.  Rover,  stating  that  the  oppo 
sition  of  the  Waltham  interests  in  Wall  Street 
had  been  suddenly  withdrawn.  But  he  added 
that  business  matters  in  the  metropolis  were  be 
coming  more  and  more  arduous  for  him,  and  he 
asked  when  Dick  expected  to  get  back. 

"I'm  afraid  it's  getting  too  much  for  dear,  old 
dad,"  was  Dick's  comment,  on  perusing  this  mes 
sage.  "I  think  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  get 
back  and  help  him." 

"Well,  if  you  go  back,  I  think  I'll  go  back  my 
self,"  said  Tom.  "Anyway,  this  tour  seems  to 
have  come  to  a  standstill,  with  so  much  rain." 

"I'm  willing  to  go  back  if  you  fellows  say  so," 
put  in  Sam. 

"I'll  wager  he  and  Grace  want  to  get  ready  for 
their  wedding,"  remarked  Tom,  slily. 

"That's  just  what  we  do,"  returned  Sam, 
boldly.  "We're  going  to  be  married  early  this 
fall,  aren't  we,  Grace?"  and  he  gazed  fondly  at 
the  girl,  who  nodded,  and  then  turned  away  to 
hide  her  blushes. 

But  the  tour  did  not  come  to  an  end  as  quickly 
as  might  have  been  expected.  On  the  day  fol 
lowing  it  was  such  fair  weather  that  they  left  the 
Barlow  farm  and  started  once  more  on  their  trip 
westward.  Colorado  Springs  was  soon  gained, 


318  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

and,  passing  on  to  Manitou,  they  left  the  automo 
biles,  and  took  the  cog  railway  to  the  summit  of 
Pike's  Peak.  Then,  on  the  day  following,  they 
motored  up  to  Denver. 

"We  can  ship  our  automobiles  home  by 
freight,"  said  Dick,  "and  by  returning  by  train 
we  can  be  back  in  New  York  in  no  time." 

A  week  later  found  the  entire  party  once 
more  in  the  East.  While  Dick  and  Tom  settled 
down  to  help  their  father  at  the  offices  in  Wall 
Street,  the  others  returned  to  Valley  Brook  and 
to  Cedarville,  to  prepare  for  the  coming  wed 
ding. 

"And  where  is  it  to  be,  Sam  ?"  questioned  Tom, 
•when  the  brothers  were  on  the  point  of  parting. 

"Oh,  it  can  only  be  in  one  place,"  was  Sam's 
answer. 

"And  I  guess  I  know  where  that  is,"  returned 
Tom,  with  a  grin. 

Both  Dick  and  Tom  had  been  married  in  the 
Cedarville  Union  Church,  a  little  stone  edifice 
covered  with  ivy,  which  was  located  not  a  great 
distance  from  the  homes  of  the  Lanings  and  the 
Stanhopes,  and  also  Putnam  Hall.  As  before,  it 
was  a  question  if  the  numerous  guests  who  were 
expected  to  the  ceremony  would  be  able  to  get 
into  the  building.  But  both  Grace  and  Sam  said 
they  would  have  to  make  the  best  of  it. 


MRS.  SAM  ROVER— CONCLUSION          319 

As  soon  as  the  wedding  invitations  were  issued, 
the  presents  began  to  come  in,  and  they  were  fully 
as  numerous  and  as  costly  as  had  been  the  gifts 
bestowed  upon  Dora  and  upon  Nellie.  From  Mr. 
Rover  came,  as  was  to  be  expected,  a  bankbook 
containing  an  amount  written  therein  which  was 
the  duplicate  of  that  he  had  bestowed  upon  Dick 
and  Dora  and  likewise  upon  Tom  and  Nellie. 

"You  can  always  depend  on  dad,"  was  Sam's 
comment,  his  voice  choking  a  little.  "The  best 
dad  anybody  ever  had!" 

"Indeed  you  are  right !"  answered  the  bride-to- 
be.  "And  I'm  going  to  love  him  just  as  if  he 
were  my  own  father." 

Sam's  own  present  to  his  bride  was  a  gold 
wrist-watch  set  in  diamonds  and  pearls — a  beau 
tiful  affair  over  which  the  happy  girl  went  wild 
with  delight. 

At  last  came  the  eventful  day,  full  of  golden 
sunshine.  All  of  the  Rovers  had  arrived  in 
Cedarville  and  were  quartered  at  the  hotel.  Many 
other  guests  were  at  the  Stanhope  homestead  and 
at  the  Laning  farm,  and  still  others — former 
cadets — had  come  back  not  only  to  attend  the 
wedding  but  also  to  take  another  look  at  dear  old 
Putnam  Hall. 

Among  the  old  guard  who  had  thus  presented 
themselves  were  Fred  Garrison,  Larry  Colby, 


320 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


Bart  Conners  and  Harry  Blossom.  Among  those 
who  had  attended  Brill  were  Stanley  Browne, 
Spud  Jackson,  Bob  Grimes  and,  of  course,  Song 
bird. 

"I'm  engaged  to  Minnie,"  whispered  the  latter 
to  the  Rovers  at  the  first  opportunity.  "We  are 
going  to  be  married  just  as  soon  as  my  income 
will  permit.  And  what  do  you  think  ?  I've  sold 
four  more  poems — got  eighty  dollars  for  them," 
and  his  face  beamed  as  they  had  never  seen  it 
shine  before. 

"I  congratulate  you,  Songbird,"  returned  Sam, 
heartily.  "I  certainly  hope  you  get  to  be  the 
best-known  poet  in  the  United  States." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know  about  that.  I  am  going 
to  buckle  down  to  business.  My  uncle  thinks  I 
am  doing  wonderfully  well,  and  he  says  if  I  keep 
on  he  is  going  to  give  me  a  substantial  increase 
in  salary  after  the  first  of  the  year.  I'm  going 
to  write  verses  just  as  a  side  issue." 

As  at  the  other  weddings,  the  ceremony  was 
set  for  high  noon.  Soon  the  guests  began  to  ar 
rive,  and  before  long  the  old  church  was  crowded 
to  its  capacity,  with  many  standing  up  in  the 
aisles  and  in  the  rear  and  even  at  the  side  win 
dows,  which  were  wide  open. 

Captain  Putnam,  in  full  uniform  and  looking 
a  little  grayer  than  ever,  was  there,  and  with  him, 


MRS.  SAM  ROVER— CONCLUSION          321 

George  Strong,  his  head  assistant,  with  whom 
Sam  had  always  been  very  friendly.  There  were 
also  numerous  girls  there  who  had  formerly  at 
tended  Hope  Seminary,  and  of  these  one  was  a 
flower  girl  and  two  were  bridesmaids. 

Sam's  best  man  was  his  old  Putnam  Hall  chum, 
Fred  Garrison,  while  among  the  ushers  were 
Songbird,  Stanley,  Spud,  Bob,  and  some  others 
of  his  former  classmates. 

Presently  the  organ  pealed  out  and  the  minister 
appeared,  followed  a  moment  later  by  Sam.  Then 
up  the  aisle  came  Grace  on  the  arm  of  Mr.  Lan- 
ing,  and  daintily  attired  in  white  with  a  flowing 
veil  beset  with  orange  blossoms. 

"Oh,  how  pretty  she  looks!"  said  more  than 
one ;  and  they  spoke  the  truth,  for  Grace  certainly 
made  a  beautiful  bride. 

The  ceremony  was  a  brief  but  solemn  one,  and 
then,  as  the  organ  pealed  out  joyously,  the  happy 
pair  walked  forth  from  the  church,  to  enter  an 
automobile  which  whirled  them  off  to  the  Laning 
homestead.  To  that  place  they  were  followed  by 
a  great  number  of  invited  guests.  An  elaborate 
wedding  dinner  had  been  prepared,  and  an  or 
chestra  from  the  city  had  been  hired,  and  all  sat 
down  to  a  feast  of  good  things  with  music. 

"We'll  have  to  give  them  a  send-off — 'same  as 
they  gave  me,"  said  Tom  to  his  brother  Dick, 


322  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

while  the  festivities  were  at  their  height.  "They'll 
be  getting  ready  to  go  away  soon." 

"Sure!  we'll  give  them  a  send-off,"  returned 
the  oldest  brother.  "Come  on,  let  us  get  busy." 

Down  at  the  barns  an  automobile  was  in  readi 
ness  to  take  Sam  and  his  bride  away  on  their 
wedding  trip.  This  car  Dick  and  Tom  and  a 
number  of  others  lost  no  time  in  decorating  with 
white  streamers  and  a  placard  which  read:  We 
are  on  our  wedding  trip.  Congratulate  us. 

"Aren't  you  going  to  stay  to  have  a  dance?" 
questioned  Nellie  of  her  sister,  a  little  later. 

"Of  course,"  answered  Grace ;  and  shortly  after 
that  she  and  Sam  tripped  around  to  the  tuneful 
measures  of  a  two-step.  All  of  the  young  folks 
present  joined  in,  the  older  folks  looking  on  with 
much  satisfaction. 

"I  can  hardly  believe  it,"  declared  old  Aunt 
Martha,  as  she  took  off  her  spectacles  to  wipe  her 
eyes.  "Why,  it  don't  seem  no  time  since  Sam  was 
just  a  baby !" 

The  dancing  continued  for  some  time  but  then, 
of  a  sudden,  came  a  cry  from  Dora : 

"Where  are  Sam  and  Grace  ?  I  don't  see  them 
anywhere." 

"They  are  gone !    They  have  given  us  the  slip !" 

"No,  they've  gone  upstairs.  Wait  here,  and 
we'll  give  them  a  shower." 


MRS.  SAM  ROVER— CONCLUSION         323 

The  young  folks  gathered  in  the  hallway  and 
out  on  the  piazza,  and  a  few  minutes  later  Sam 
and  Grace  appeared,  both  ready  for  their  tour. 
Then  came  a  grand  shower  of  rice  and  confetti, 
mingled  with  two  or  three  old  shoes,  and  in  the 
midst  of  this  the  happy,  laughing  young  couple 
escaped  to  the  automobile  which  was  now  drawn 
up  before  the  door.  The  chauffeur  was  ready  for 
the  start,  and  in  an  instant  more  the  machine 
shot  down  the  lane  and  out  into  the  roadway. 

"Good-bye !  Good-bye  and  good  luck  to  you !" 
was  the  cry. 

"Good-bye,  everybody!"  came  back  from  the 
touring  car,  and  Sam  and  Grace  stood  up  to  wave 
their  hands  to  those  left  behind.  Then  the  tour 
ing  car  disappeared  around  a  turn  of  the  road, 
and  they  were  gone. 

And  now  let  me  add  a  few  words  more  and 
thus  bring  to  a  close  this  long  series  of  adventures 
in  which  the  three  Rover  boys,  Dick,  Tom,  and 
Sam,  have  played  such  an  important  part. 

A  number  of  years  have  passed  and  many 
changes  of  importance  have  occurred.  Mr.  An 
derson  Rover  has  retired  from  active  participa 
tion  in  The  Rover  Company,  and  Dick  is  now  the 
president,  with  Tom  secretary  and  Sam  treas 
urer.  The  concern  is  doing  remarkably  well  and 


324  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

all  of  the  Rovers  are  reported  to  be  wealthy.  The 
father  has  returned  to  the  farm  at  Valley  Brook, 
where  he  lives  in  peace  and  comfort  with  Uncle 
Randolph  and  Aunt  Martha,  who,  despite  their 
years,  are  still  in  the  best  of  health. 

A  year  after  Sam's  marriage  to  Grace,  Song 
bird  Powell  married  Minnie  Sanderson.  The 
would-be  poet  has  made  quite  a  business  man  of 
himself  and,  what  perhaps  is  of  even  greater 
pleasure  to  himself,  has  had  many  of  his  poems 
accepted  by  our  leading  periodicals. 

When  Sam  was  first  married  he  went  to  live  in 
an  apartment  close  to  those  occupied  by  Dick  and 
Tom,  but  two  years  later  the  three  brothers  had 
a  chance  to  buy  a  beautiful  plot  of  ground  on 
Riverside  Drive,  facing  the  noble  Hudson  River, 
and  on  this  they  built  three  beautiful  houses  ad 
joining  one  another. 

"I  guess  we  are  in  New  York  to  stay,"  was  the 
way  the  oldest  brother  had  expressed  himself, 
"and  if  that  is  so  we  may  as  well  make  ourselves 
as  comfortable  here  as  possible." 

Before  the  young  folks  moved  into  the  new 
homes  Dick  and  Dora  were  blessed  with  a  little1 
son,  who  later  on  was  named  John  after  Mr. 
John  Laning.  Little  Jack,  as  he  was  always  called 
by  the  others,  was  a  wonderfully  bright  and  clever 
lad  and  a  great  source  of  comfort  to  his  parents. 


MRS.  SAM  ROVER— CONCLUSION         325 

Later  still  the  young  couple  had  a  daughter,  whom 
they  named  Martha  after  Dick's  aunt. 

Tom  and  Nellie  had  twin  boys  that  were 
speedily  christened  Andy  after  Mr.  Anderson 
Rover,  and  Randy  after  Tom's  Uncle  Randolph. 
Then  Sam  came  along  with  a  daughter,  who  was 
called  Mary  after  Mrs.  Laning  and  with  a  son, 
whom  he  called  Fred  after  his  old  school  chum, 
Fred  Garrison. 

The  young  Rover  boys  had  a  great  many 
qualities  similar  to  those  displayed  by  their  fa 
thers.  Little  Jack  was  as  strong  and  sturdy  as 
Dick  had  ever  been,  and  young  Fred  had  many 
of  the  peculiarities  of  Sam,  while  Andy  and 
Randy,  the  twins,  were  the  equal  of  tlieir  father, 
Tom,  for  creating  fun. 

"I  don't  know  what  we're  ever  going  to  do 
with  those  kids,"  remarked  Tom,  one  day,  after 
Andy  and  Randy  had  played  a  big  joke  on  Jack 
and  Fred.  "Some  day  they'll  pull  the  house 
down  over  our  ears." 

"Well,  Andy  and  Randy  are  simply  chips  of  the 
old  block,"  laughed  Dick  Rover.  "I  suppose  we'll 
all  have  to  do  as  our  folks  did  with  us — send  the 
lads  off  to  some  strict  boarding  school." 

"If  I  ever  do  send  them  off,  I  know  where  it 
will  be,"  answered  Tom  Rover.  "Our  old  Put 
nam  Hall  chum,  Larry  Colby,  has  opened  a  first- 


326  THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

class  military  academy  which  he  calls  Colby  Hall. 
If  I  ever  send  them  away  I  think  I'll  send  them 
to  Larry." 

"That  wouldn't  be  a  half  bad  idea,"  put  in  Sam 
Rover.  "Larry  was  always  a  first-class  fellow 
and  I  don't  doubt  but  what  he  is  running  a  first- 
class  school." 

"Well,  those  boys  are  too  young  yet  to  leave 
home,"  was  Dick  Rover's  comment.  "If  they  are 
to  go  to  boarding  school  that  must  come  later." 

A  few  years  after  that  Jack,  Andy  and  Randy, 
and  Fred  were  sent  to  Colby  Hall,  and  it  is  possi 
ble  that  some  day  I  may  tell  you  of  what  hap 
pened  there  to  this  younger  generation  of  Rovers. 

Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  were  happy,  and  with 
good  reason.  They  had  the  best  of  wives,  and 
children  that  they  dearly  loved,  and  though  they 
worked  hard  they  were  surrounded  with  every 
comfort.  Every  summer,  and  at  Christmas  time, 
they  left  New  York  either  for  Valley  Brook  or 
for  Cedarville,  there  to  receive  the  warmest  of 
welcomes.  Life  looked  rosy  to  all  of  them,  and 
here  we  will  leave  them  and  say  good-bye. 


THE    END 


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THE  FAMOUS  ROVER  BOYS 
SERIES 

By  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(EDWARD  STRATEMEYER) 
Beautiful  Wrappers  fn  Full  Color 


No  stories  for  boys  ever  published 
have  attained  the  tremendous  popu 
larity  of  this  famous  series.  Since  the 
publication  of  the  first  volume,  The 
Rover  Boys  at  School,  some  years  ago, 
over  three  million  copies  of  these 
books  have  been  sold.  They  are  well 
written  stories  dealing  with  the  Rover 
boys  in  a  great  many  different  kinds 
of  activities  and  adventures.  Each 
volume  holds  something  of  interest  to 
every  adventure  loving  boy. 

A  complete  list  of  titles  is  printed 
on  the  opposite  page. 


FAMOUS  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

BY  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 
OVER  THREE  MILLION  COPIES  SOLD  OF  THIS  SERIES. 

Uniform  Style  of  Binding.     Colored  Wrappers. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND  SEA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

THE  ROVER  EOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLBY  HALL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  SNOWSHOE  ISLAND 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  HUNT 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  LAND  OF  LUCK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  BIG  HORN  RANCH 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  BIG  BEAR  LAKE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  SHIPWRECKED 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  SUNSET  TRAIL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  WINNING  A  FORTUNE 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,          PUBLISHERS,          NEW  YORK 


WESTERN  STORIES  FOR  BOYS 

By  JAMES  CODY  FERRIS 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers  and  Illustration*  by 

WALTER  S.  ROGERS 
Each  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Thrilling  tales  of  the  great  west,  told  primarily  for 
boys  but  which  will  be  read  by  all  who  love  mystery, 
rapid  action,  and  adventures  in  the  great  open  spaces. 

The  Manly  Boys,  Roy  and  Teddy,  are  the  sons  of 
an  old  ranchman,  the  owner  of  many  thousands  of 
heads  of  cattle.  The  lads  know  how  to  ride,  how  to 
shoot,  and  how  to  take  care  of  themselves  under  any 
and  all  circumstances. 

The  cowboys  of  the  X  Bar  X  Ranch  are  real  cow 
boys,  on  the  job  when  required  but  full  of  fun  and 
daring — a  bunch  any  reader  will  be  delighted  to  know. 

THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  THE  RANCH 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  IN  THUNDER  CANYON 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  WHIRLPOOL  RIVER 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  BIG  BISON  TRAIL 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  THE  ROUND-UP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  NUGGET  CAMP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  RUSTLER'S  GAP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  GRIZZLY  PASS 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  LOST  IN  THE  ROCKIES 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


^^B^^^^^^H 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


MM 


-  •«?» 
1997 


31995 


A     000,33 


466 


